The drive towards lower emissions and and alt-power trucks continues with the appearance of the first hydrogen truck on Aussie roads. Tim Giles gets behind the wheel of the fuel cell powered truck.
The development of alternative power trucks will take many years and the final picture and solutions which will take the trucking industry forward into its zero carbon future are not clear, as yet. Some more light was brought to the subject with the arrival and hands-on experience of the new truck brought in by H-drive and Pure Hydrogen.
The Taurus prime mover will be trialled with PepsiCo Australia, on a development timeline. According to Pure Hydrogen, under the agreement, if PepsiCo determines that the vehicle has a commercial use case, it has the option to order additional hydrogen-powered vehicles from this year through to 2025. In the PepsiCo fleet the truck will be refuelled at the company depots, a process which reckoned to take about three minutes.
An event showcasing this hydrogen fuel cell vehicle was held at the RACQ Mobility Centre on the outskirts of Brisbane. The event allowed Pure Hydrogen to provide potential customers and industry participants with a live demonstration of a hydrogen-powered commercial vehicle, and, for a lucky few, a turn behind the wheel of this futuristic looking truck.
“Pure Hydrogen has had productive conversations with potential customers in the heavy vehicle industry, which we will look to convert into value generating relationships,” said Scott Brown, Pure Hydrogen Managing Director. “We are specifically targeting the heavy transport sector as many view hydrogen as the only avenue to decarbonising the industry.
“There is a growing consensus that increased weight, limited driving range and longer recharging times make battery-electric vehicles unviable for heavy transport. Contrastingly, hydrogen fuel cells are able to overcome these barriers.”
The model on show here, is an Australian adaptation of a truck developed in China. It’s a 220kW (299hp) 6×2 prime mover, with a lifting tag axle, which will go on trial with PepsiCo. It will only be handling relatively light loads, hauling trailers loaded with potato crisps. The task it will be covering is an urban low mileage one, therefore , it is only fitted with four hydrogen tanks.
There is room in the large structure, directly behind the cabin, for a further eight hydrogen tanks which would enable much longer range capability than the 300km being quoted for the truck which will be going into the PepsiCo fleet.
The futuristic design sees the prime mover utilise ideas we have seen in various concept trucks at truck shows over the years. Probably the most radical is the shape with a sweeping curve from the front bumper, up across a swept back windscreen to a large storage space behind the truck cabin, which contains hydrogen tanks and cooling equipment.
Climbing aboard the truck involves climbing up the stairs which automatically fold in and out, as required. The automatic sliding door means you enter the truck behind the driver’s seat. The cabin has a large flat floor with a fold down bunk and cabinet arranged across the rear wall.
Sitting in the driver’s seat the driver is surrounded by a long curved wraparound dash , with a large screen to the driver’s left and then more screens directly in front of the driver. As you would expect on a futuristic truck there are no rear view mirrors but a set of rearward facing cameras and screens attached to the A pillars, left and right.
The steering wheel and stalks are a familiar design and the screen in front of the driver mimics analogue gauges. To the driver’s right, where there would normally be a door, there is simply a window, below which are buttons controlling the windows, the drive, neutral and reverse buttons, plus the electronic parking brake.
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