Progress towards hydrogen fuel cell trucks is outlined by NACFE

According to a recent North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) research, the only long-term zero-emissions technology appropriate for long-haul trucks is hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.

It takes a lot of time for NACFE analysts to learn about battery-electric trucks. That also applies to its comprehensive Run on Less curriculum. In 2022, Run on Less – Electric examined a variety of battery-electric trucks. Later this month, a similar experiment investigating charging stations for fleets with more than 15 electric trucks would start.

The conversion of internal combustion engines to run on hydrogen is a third option for power, sitting between batteries and fuel cells. Because they burn fuel, those powertrains produce some emissions. On the path to fuel cells, they serve as a low-carbon stopgap, though.

By 2027, Cummins hopes to have a hydrogen-ICE version of their 15-liter engine on the market. The business announced on Monday that it would invest $452 million to update a plant in Jamestown, New York so that it can produce internal combustion engines using natural gas and hydrogen. Because hydrogen ICE engines are comparable to the current fleet engines, they may become more common.

The NACFE revised their hydrogen study in 2020 and came at the following four conclusions:

For a future with zero emissions for goods, both hydrogen and battery electric are required. For shorter distance duty cycles, battery-electric cars will be the most cost-effective and effective option. The only economically sound option for long-distance zero-emission duty cycles will be hydrogen.

The only zero-emission option for many heavy-duty tractor duty cycles is hydrogen fuel cell tractors. But for them to be profitable, prices must decrease throughout the supply and value chains. Moreover, government assistance in the form of incentives is crucial.

A two-decade shift to hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles will require alternative fuels for internal combustion engines, such as renewable natural gas, renewable diesel, and hydrogen.

The transportation sector must decide whether to use hydrogen in gaseous or liquid form and develop the necessary infrastructure to support that decision. In comparison to liquid hydrogen, moving the same volume of gaseous hydrogen requires more trucks and trailers.