Hydrogen fuel cells are often discussed as a zero-emission answer in applications where battery-electric vehicles would simply be too heavy for the job. Longhaul trucks are a perfect example of that.
A panel of speakers at the Green Truck Summit, however, argued that fuel cells may also have a home in work trucks – addressing the high loads associated with things like onboard refrigeration and auxiliary power.
“Very high utilization vehicles, to go zero emission, absolutely need hydrogen,” said Craig Knight, CEO of Hyzon Motors.
(Illustration: istock)
“The sweet spot for fuel cells is the dead zone for diesel engines. These are the vehicles that stop and start all the time. These are the vehicles that spend so much time on idle. These are the vehicles with massive PTO loads or refrigeration,” he explained. “So the best use cases are drayage,…