Anaheim A trade fair visitor at the Daimler stand asked whether they also had a hydrogen truck. An employee of the Swabian truck manufacturer waves his hand: “We are currently developing it. We can’t show it yet.”
It’s good that it looks better within sight of the Daimler stand: the Koreans from Hyundai, the US truck giant Paccar and the start-ups Nikola and Quantron are proudly presenting their fuel cell trucks.
The USA is in hydrogen fever, as the scene from the “Advanced Clean Transportation Expo” (ACT) in Anaheim, the leading trade fair for sustainable transport, shows. The ACT is full of zero-emission trucks and new charging concepts. There are electric motors, trucks or buses at almost every stand. However, the first hydrogen trucks are particularly admired. Their fuel cell technology often comes from Germany. In the coming years, however, the money should be earned primarily in the USA.
Reason are new regulations from California. At the end of April, the California Air Resources Board (Carb), the supervisory authority there, decided to ban new combustion trucks from 2036 and is driving the EU ahead with this ambitious requirement. California is considered the lead market in the US, and numerous states are likely to follow suit. This makes practicable successors to diesel trucks all the more important.
Although the market for clean vehicles is still small, observers expect sales to increase exponentially in the coming years. “We will say goodbye to fossil fuels. Zero-emission vehicles are the future,” says Peter Voorhoeve, North America President of Volvo Trucks.
Hydrogen trucks before the breakthrough
How do these look? The industry in Anaheim has a simple answer to the old controversial question of electric or hydrogen trucks: Both are needed. “Electric trucks are already being used for shorter distances, for the last mile and in the city,” says Voorhoeve. In 2022, Volvo Trucks North America delivered around 200 electric trucks – and 31,000 diesel trucks. Thanks to the new guidelines, the latter number is likely to drop rapidly.
But a fully electric future is not practical. The range is too limited, and the load on the power grids due to the necessary charging processes of the huge fleets of heavy goods vehicles is practically unsolvable. “In the second half of this decade, fuel cell trucks will prevail, especially on long-distance routes,” explains Voorhoeve.
Tailwind comes from politics. For example, a new hydrogen-based truck can not only receive $40,000 in tax rebates from President Biden’s “Inflation Reduction Act” (IRA). In California, buyers can also hope for government subsidies of up to $288,000 per truck.
The market for zero-emission trucks is still in its infancy. But at the ACT, the efforts of the manufacturers to secure a piece of the cake at an early stage can be seen. The four largest truck manufacturers in North America – Daimler Truck, Paccar, the Traton subsidiary Navistar and Volvo Trucks – are fighting with start-ups to find the best approach.
Development partnerships as the means of choice
Daimler Truck and Volvo Trucks are cooperating: in Stuttgart, their Cellcentric joint venture is developing the necessary fuel cell. However, Daimler cannot show the prototype of the planned “Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck” in Anaheim. Navistar is keeping a low profile.
Quite different Paccar from the greater Seattle area. The number two in the US market proudly presents its “Kenworth T680 FCEV” truck. Ten prototypes went to the port of Los Angeles, and the truck is to be built from 2024. Its fuel cell was developed by Toyoto. “Pre-orders are being accepted now,” says Chris Rovik of Toyoto North America.
The Koreans from Hyundai are represented with their “Xcient Fuel Cell” truck. 30 models are to be used in the Port of Oakland. They are imported from Korea.
This is exactly where Nikola wants to start. The battered US truck start-up is currently trying to restart under former Opel boss Michael Lohscheller. “We will start series production of our hydrogen truck Tre FCEV in August,” says Lohscheller. Nikola would be the first player on the US market. The interest is there: In Anaheim, California Governor Gavin Newsom and fleet managers from Walmart took the driver’s seat.
Up to 150 hydrogen trucks are to be delivered in 2023. Lohscheller sees them as the future focus of the company, not the all-electric truck that has been developed over many years. “The hydrogen truck has 170 miles more range and weighs 4,000 pounds less,” says Lohscheller. The battery cells are also simply too expensive given the small numbers that Nikola buys.
The fuel cells in the Nikola truck come from Bosch. “The breakthrough of hydrogen technology is no longer a question of if or when. The trucks are coming now,” says Bosch manager Matt Thorington.
Necessary expansion of charging networks
The manufacturer Quantron from near Augsburg also relies on Bosch technology, among other things – and on an unusual concept. Quantron is a spin-off from the medium-sized company Haller, which used to earn its money by converting commercial vehicles. The model will be used again.
Quantron is presenting its fuel cell truck at the trade fair: It shines like new, but was assembled by hand from a used Freightliner truck. Former Tesla manager Richard Haas has taken over the management. “We will convert existing fleets,” says Haas. Quantron also wants to set up its own charging network with its partner Firstelement Fue.
Daimler Truck is also planning to do the same. The Swabians are investing in a $650 million joint venture to set up an electricity and hydrogen filling station network. Here, too, President Biden’s IRA package provides for tax credits of up to 30 percent.
The US transportation industry, as it becomes clear in Anaheim, is serious about saying goodbye to diesel. But there is still a lot to be done, warns Daimler North America boss John O’Leary: “The total operating costs of emission-free trucks have to go down in order to be able to compete with previous vehicles. And the necessary refueling infrastructure is still missing across America.”
More: California bans the purchase of diesel trucks