With the world looking for zero emission transport solutions, one company, Cellcentric, jointly owned by Daimler Trucks and Volvo Group, is pushing ahead with fuel cell technology to be included in their heavy vehicle product portfolio.
Cellcentric has been developing and building hydrogen fuel cells for cars for some time, but ever since its takeover by Daimler and Volvo, the company has pivoted to concentrate purely on developing fuel cell technology for the truck market.
PowerTorque met up with Matthias Jurytko, Cellcentric CEO at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover and got the lowdown on how this cutting edge tech is coming along and how it will power trucks in the not-too-distant future. Standing next to a 150kW fuel cell system, Matthias explained where the project is heading.
“We’re 50/50 owned by Daimler Trucks and Volvo Trucks, and we are the main supplier for a fuel cell system,” said Matthias. “We’re using two 150kW systems in a twin system to make a 300kW (408hp) system. With a small battery that gives us enough propulsion power to move European trucks, for example, with 41 tonnes at 80km/h cruising along a motorway.”
A hydrogen fuel cell works by using hydrogen gas as the fuel source. Hydrogen gas is stored in a tank on the truck and is then fed to the fuel cell. The fuel cell contains a membrane and two electrodes that are separated by a catalyst. The catalyst helps to break down the hydrogen molecules into protons and electrons. The protons pass through the membrane, while the electrons are forced to flow around the outside of the cell, creating a potential difference and therefore an electric current.
The current produced heads down the line to a power distribution unit and this then transfers the power to either an electric motor or to the vehicle’s battery. It is at this point where it will be down to the truck OEMs to determine how they want to operate their system, as they develop their own distribution strategy. For Cellcentric, the fuel cell system and the hydrogen supply are the only components inside the scope of the project. The rest is up to the individual manufacturers.
“Both Daimler and Volvo define the specifications to which we have to develop this technology, they are both on the same side, trying to get to the right fuel cell,” said Matthias. “However, when it comes to the application of the technology in the trucks, they are in competition.
“There’s a couple of things we are developing right from scratch, we are setting the standards and then there is the challenge of preparing for mass production, which will be happening in the second half of this decade. These are the challenges we have.”
Cellcentric is pushing ahead with fuel cell technology to produce a fuel cell that is as light as possible, but also capable of handling a range of up to 1000km. Critical factors include service lifetime, data requirements, durability, as well as the power output, which should be able to match current diesel drivelines.
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