In response to Volvo Vans, gasoline cells for the automobiles will likely be offered by cellcentric, a three way partnership with Daimler Truck that was established in March 2021.
Tomohiro Ohsumi | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs
Volvo Vans stated Monday that it had begun to check automobiles that use “gasoline cells powered by hydrogen,” with the Swedish agency claiming their vary may lengthen to as a lot as 1,000 kilometers, or slightly over 621 miles.
In an announcement, Gothenburg-headquartered Volvo Vans stated refueling of the automobiles would take underneath quarter-hour. Buyer pilots are set to start within the subsequent few years, with commercialization “deliberate for the latter a part of this decade.”
Gas cells for the automobiles will likely be offered by cellcentric, a three way partnership with Daimler Truck that was established in March 2021.
“Hydrogen-powered gasoline cell electrical vehicles will likely be particularly appropriate for lengthy distances and heavy, energy-demanding assignments,” Roger Alm, president of Volvo Vans, stated.
Alongside hydrogen gasoline cell automobiles, Volvo Vans — which is a part of the Volvo Group — has additionally developed battery-electric vehicles.
The electrification of long-haul, heavy-duty vehicles poses its personal distinctive set of challenges. The Worldwide Vitality Company’s International EV Outlook for 2021 has described long-haul trucking as needing “superior applied sciences for top energy charging and/or giant batteries.”
Competitors inside the sector has elevated in recent times. Volvo Vans’ give attention to zero-emission applied sciences will put it in competitors with firms like Tesla and JV associate Daimler Truck, that are each creating electrical vehicles.
Like Volvo Vans, Daimler Truck is specializing in each battery-electric and hydrogen automobiles.
In an interview with CNBC final yr Martin Daum, chairman of the board of administration at Daimler Truck, was requested in regards to the debate between battery-electric and hydrogen gasoline cell.
“We go for each as a result of each … make sense,” he replied, earlier than explaining how totally different applied sciences could be acceptable in numerous eventualities.
“Basically, you possibly can say: For those who go to metropolis supply the place you want decrease quantities of power in there, you possibly can cost in a single day in a depot, then it is definitely battery electrical,” he stated.
“However the second you are on the street, the second you go from Stockholm to Barcelona … for my part, you want one thing which you’ll be able to transport higher and the place you possibly can refuel higher and that’s in the end H2.”
“The ruling is just not out, however I believe it is too dangerous for an organization our measurement to go along with only one know-how.”
Whereas there’s pleasure in some quarters in regards to the potential of hydrogen-powered automobiles, there are hurdles in relation to increasing the sector, a degree acknowledged by Volvo Vans on Monday.
It pointed to challenges together with the “large-scale provide of inexperienced hydrogen” in addition to “the truth that refueling infrastructure for heavy automobiles is but to be developed.”
Described by the IEA as a “versatile power provider,” hydrogen has a various vary of purposes and could be deployed in a variety of industries.
It may be produced in quite a few methods. One technique contains utilizing electrolysis, with an electrical present splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen.
If the electrical energy used on this course of comes from a renewable supply similar to wind or photo voltaic then some name it “inexperienced” or “renewable” hydrogen. In the present day, the overwhelming majority of hydrogen era relies on fossil fuels.
Final week, Volvo Building Tools, which can be a part of the Volvo Group, stated it had commenced testing of a “gasoline cell articulated hauler prototype.”
