London-headquartered truck maker Tevva has unveiled its first hydrogen-electric truck, which has a range of 310 miles (499 km).
According to the company, the truck will be the first vehicle of its kind to be manufactured, designed and mass-produced in the UK.The 7.5 tonne truck unveiled at the Road Transport Expo in Warwickshire, will be manufactured in Tilbury, London. This will be followed by 12 tonne and 19 tonne variants, which are expected next year.
“Our focus is first and foremost trucks that get the job done, remove the range issues, save money. The green focus is not the main focus because I believe that’s the best way to get the world to decarbonise,” Tevva CEO and founder Asher Bennett told UKTN.
Bennett likened this approach to making solar power cheaper than coal because people are more likely to choose the energy source that makes the most financial sense.
Why hydrogen?
Hydrogen technology is still a nascent field, with only a few hydrogen-powered vehicles currently on the market.
Hydrogen fuel cells combine oxygen and hydrogen atoms to produce electricity, with water and a small amount of heat as by-products instead of harmful emissions.
The main benefit of incorporating hydrogen into an electric truck is the energy density, which means the system and energy does not add a lot of weight when compared to a traditional battery. Some see this as having high potential for trucking fleets that often undertake long-range trips.
Filling up with hydrogen also requires less time than electricity because it comes in gas form and can be topped up in a similar amount of time as a diesel truck.
Hydrogen technology is still a nascent field, with only a few hydrogen-powered vehicles currently on the market.
Hydrogen fuel cells combine oxygen and hydrogen atoms to produce electricity, with water and a small amount of heat as by-products instead of harmful emissions.
The main benefit of incorporating hydrogen into an electric truck is the energy density, which means the system and energy does not add a lot of weight when compared to a traditional battery. Some see this as having high potential for trucking fleets that often undertake long-range trips.
Filling up with hydrogen also requires less time than electricity because it comes in gas form and can be topped up in a similar amount of time as a diesel truck.
Limitations of hydrogen
Despite the benefits of hydrogen power, a fully hydrogen-powered truck is not currently viable. Bennett explained that the fuel is expensive because it’s not widely used in transportation, nor is it offered at many fuelling stations.
Hydrogen to electricity fuel cells are not cheap, either.
“The way we approach it is we’re using [hydrogen] as a backup energy system, not as a primary energy system,” Bennett said.
The launch comes shortly after Tevva, which takes its name from the Hebrew word for nature, raised £41m to accelerate the production of its all-electric and electric-hydrogen 7.5 tonne trucks. To date Tevva has raised over $140m (£115m) in funding.
“It’s much better than a [just a] battery because without the hydrogen, you’d probably not want to use more than 50 to 70% of your battery at most and no one is risking it too much in the world of trucks and getting to the limits, because repatriating a truck that has run out of energy full of goods is not fun,” said Bennett. UKTN - link - George Simister - link - more like this (H2 trucks) - link
Despite the benefits of hydrogen power, a fully hydrogen-powered truck is not currently viable. Bennett explained that the fuel is expensive because it’s not widely used in transportation, nor is it offered at many fuelling stations.
Hydrogen to electricity fuel cells are not cheap, either.
“The way we approach it is we’re using [hydrogen] as a backup energy system, not as a primary energy system,” Bennett said.
The launch comes shortly after Tevva, which takes its name from the Hebrew word for nature, raised £41m to accelerate the production of its all-electric and electric-hydrogen 7.5 tonne trucks. To date Tevva has raised over $140m (£115m) in funding.
“It’s much better than a [just a] battery because without the hydrogen, you’d probably not want to use more than 50 to 70% of your battery at most and no one is risking it too much in the world of trucks and getting to the limits, because repatriating a truck that has run out of energy full of goods is not fun,” said Bennett. UKTN - link - George Simister - link - more like this (H2 trucks) - link
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