The word ‘hydrogen’ did not appear in Scania’s vocabulary for a long time. However, the Swedish manufacturer was working on this technology and recently presented its first prototype at the Transport.CH fair in Bern.
In particular, Scania has been a partner in Wallonia-funded research projects, including the H2C Mouscron project, which aims to use the residuals from the Mydibel factory in Mouscron to produce biomethane, which in turn is used for the electrolysis of water and ultimately for the production of green hydrogen. Until now, however, these types of projects have remained somewhat under the radar.
On a technical level, Scania, in collaboration with Cummins, has opted for the fuel cell. Some prototypes have been made based on an electric 6×2 tractor with a 400 kW fuel cell, 416 kWh batteries and 700 bar hydrogen tanks for a total of 56 kg. This configuration should allow a range of 850 kilometers. The vehicles were tested in Sweden in July and appear ready to be delivered to customers for testing in real-world use conditions. One of the vehicles has been on display since yesterday at the Transport.CH fair in Bern, Switzerland. This choice makes sense, as Switzerland is a particularly attractive country for hydrogen trucks.
“Battery-electric trucks remain the key pillar of our strategy. To accelerate the transition to sustainable transport, we believe it is necessary to prepare for other technologies, such as range extenders and fuel cells. These FCEV vehicles are not for sale. They will be used to evaluate the technology, its operational performance and its commercial viability,” said Tony Sandberg, vice-chairman of Scania Pilot Partner, the program through which Scania involves customers in the development of new technologies.
