Volvo Trucks had announced that its first hydrogen truck would come onto the market in the second half of this decade and it seems that promise is being kept: the Swedish manufacturer confirms that a vehicle with a hydrogen engine will be on the market before 2030. In the meantime, the test drives have started.
The news comes just days after the announcement that Toyota is joining the Volvo Group and Daimler Truck in the Cellcentric joint venture, which will produce fuel cells. However, this is a different technology, as Volvo Trucks has started road trials of trucks equipped with hydrogen combustion engines.
The Swedish manufacturer will in fact perfect its ‘dual fuel’ technology that it already uses in its LNG trucks: a small amount of ignition fuel is injected at high pressure to enable self-ignition by compression before hydrogen is added. This ignition fuel can be diesel, but also HVO, in which case the truck can achieve zero net CO₂ emissions from well to wheel. This technology is called HPDI (High Pressure Direct Injection) and was developed by Cespira, a joint venture between the Volvo Group and Westport Fuel Systems. This technology should provide better energy efficiency, lower fuel consumption and higher engine power compared to conventional hydrogen combustion technologies.
Volvo Trucks is targeting these future hydrogen trucks for long distances and for regions where the charging infrastructure for electric trucks with batteries is limited and/or cannot charge fast enough. They complement Volvo’s offering, which also includes battery-electric trucks and will in the future also include fuel cell electric trucks. “We see great potential for hydrogen-burning trucks, which will play a role in the transition to zero-emission transport. Different technologies are needed to decarbonize. As a global truck manufacturer, we offer different solutions and help our customers choose the best option based on their transport assignment, available infrastructure and the price of green energy,” said Jan Hjelmgren (Head of Product Management at Volvo Trucks).
