‘Cryotruck’ is a new project uniting MAN, the Technical University of Munich, and the start-up Cryomotive.
The objective is to develop a truck capable of 1,000 kilometers on hydrogen cryogas. Refueling takes only ten minutes.
Automobiles powered by hydrogen and utilizing a fuel cell in the future appear to be a non-starter. The electric vehicle is superior in practically every way. As a result, the majority of manufacturers have ceased investing in the development of hydrogen vehicles. However, the situation is reversed for trucks. For example, Daimler Vehicles and the Volvo Group have been collaborating on efficient fuel cells for hydrogen trucks as part of the Cellcentric joint venture for several years.
A new collaborative venture was added last week. The ‘Cryotruck’ initiative is banking on cryogenic hydrogen, a type of hydrogen gas between liquid hydrogen and hydrogen gas. Over the next two years, a consortium led by German start-up Cryomotive plans to construct the most efficient fuel tank for this gas, as well as the associated infrastructure at refueling stations.
If all goes well, the cryotrucks will be capable of driving 1,000 kilometers non-stop. Additionally, it will take little more than ten minutes to refill the gasoline tanks.
Cryomotive is supported in its endeavor by MAN Trucks, Clean Logistics (a specialist in truck conversions), IABG Testing, the Technical University of Munich, and the German Federal Ministry of Transport.
According to Cryomotive CEO Tobias Brunner, this concept centers entirely around cryogas. “One disadvantage of hydrogen gas is that it requires extremely huge tanks to drive a truck a long distance,” he continues. This is due to hydrogen gas’s low energy density.
While liquid hydrogen has a somewhat higher energy density, it has the disadvantage of being able to be employed at lower pressures. As a result, it is inappropriate for fuel cells with the highest efficiency.
Cryogas, according to Brunner (who spent ten years at BMW researching hydrogen technology), offers the best of both worlds.
Cryogas has a 20% greater energy density than liquid hydrogen and approximately double the energy density of hydrogen gas. Additionally, it can be employed under high pressure. In other terms, a smaller tank allows for more driving distance.
According to Brunner, cryogas can be created using either hydrogen gas or liquid hydrogen. It is a type of intermediate state that is extremely cold, ranging between -240 and -100 degrees Celsius. The term cryogen originates in Latin and literally translates as ‘cold-making’. It is generated when liquid hydrogen is subjected to a given amount of pressure and transforms into a gas, but it is also formed when hydrogen gas is cooled to a certain temperature.
According to Brunner, both hydrogen treatments are possible without incurring significant energy losses. Additionally, unlike liquid hydrogen, Cryogas does not evaporate. As a result, no fuel is lost during refueling.
Additionally, Brunner believes that current hydrogen infrastructure may be utilized. As a result, there is no reason to start from scratch. In Germany, there are approximately 100 hydrogen refueling facilities for vehicles and/or trucks. According to H2stations.org, there are nearly 230 in Europe, with 41 in France and 11 in the Netherlands.
The cryotruck collaboration will now spend the next two years developing two demonstration vehicles capable of transporting 80 kg of cryogas hydrogen each. This translates to around 2,600 kilowatt hours of energy. Brunner has already conducted tests at BMW with a cryogas vehicle. One of the current problems is the development of larger tanks.
Simultaneously, the team is developing an efficient tank system and methods for storing and producing cryogas at refueling stations. By 2025, it should be known whether cryogas is a viable technology. The €25 million project is fully funded.
