Hyzon Motors Inc., a leading supplier of zero-emission, hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles, today announced the delivery of 29 fuel cell electric trucks to be used by a major steel conglomerate in China through Shanghai Hydrogen HongYun Automotive Co. (“HongYun”).
The 49-ton trucks, which were delivered in November, utilize a 170-kilowatt fuel cell stack, and are expected to haul steel coils in the conglomerate’s fleet in coming months. HongYun plans to provide operation, leasing and maintenance services for industrial and municipal customers in targeted locations in China, which is expected to be a massive market for fuel cell technologies in the coming years. Hongyun has further orders for 33 more trucks confirmed with Hyzon.
Each 49-ton heavy truck is expected to eliminate an estimated 140 tons of CO2 emission a year; over the course of the 7-year expected life span of the vehicles, the initial order of trucks is expected to eliminate an aggregate of over 30,000 tons of CO2 emissions.
“Hyzon’s focus is on decarbonizing heavy transport – today,” said Hyzon CEO Craig Knight. “We expect that this initial order will make an immediate environmental impact, while also providing Hyzon the opportunity to continue enhancing capacity and expertise for future deployments across the globe. The steel industry is under intense scrutiny regarding their emissions, both manufacturing operations as well as logistics activities; we are here to take logistics out of that equation.”
Hydrogen, which is converted to electricity through a fuel cell with no tailpipe emissions, powers the vehicle through fuel cells that are compact, powerful and uniquely suited for long haul and high utilization back-to-base transport. Hydrogen fuel tanks can be refilled in 15 minutes, approximately as fast as diesel tanks, a distinct advantage over battery electric vehicles (BEVs) that typically take multiple hours to recharge. In fact, the US Clean Air Task Force estimates that the number of truck stops would need to increase eight-fold if all US heavy vehicles transitioned to BEV, while the existing infrastructure would suffice if the trucks instead operated on hydrogen.
SOURCE: Hyzon Motors
