Volvo Trucks Adds Hydrogen Fuel-Cell to its Range

Paul Myles

TU-Editor

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20th June 2022

Volvo Trucks is keeping all its zero-emission vehicle options open with the unveiling of its latest truck with a hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain.

The automaker already today offers battery electric trucks and trucks that run on renewable fuels, such as biogas. It now announces that, in the second half of this decade, the fuel-cell powered truck will be its third CO2-neutral option. This will have a claimed operational range comparable to many diesel trucks, of up to 620 miles, and a refueling time of less than 15 minutes. The total trucking weight can be around 65 tons, or even higher, and the two on-board fuel cells have the capacity to generate 300 kW of electricity onboard.

Customer pilots will start in a few years from now and commercialization is planned for the latter part of this decade. The fuel cells will be supplied by cellcentric, a joint venture between the Volvo Group and Daimler Truck which is hoping to build one of Europe’s largest series production facilities for fuel-cells developed specifically for heavy vehicles.

Roger Alm, president of Volvo Trucks, said: “We have been developing this technology for some years now, and it feels great to see the first trucks successfully running on the test track. The combination of battery electric and fuel cell electric will enable our customers to completely eliminate CO2 exhaust emissions from their trucks, no matter transport assignments. Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks will be especially suitable for long distances and heavy, energy-demanding assignments. They could also be an option in countries where battery charging possibilities are limited.”

— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_