Volvo Test Hydrogen Powered Trucks on Public Roads
Volvo Trucks unveiled their fuel cell electric trucks last year, marking a significant milestone in their product line-up. These innovative trucks utilise hydrogen to generate electricity on board, resulting in zero exhaust emissions and making them highly suitable for long-haul transportation tasks.
Recently, Volvo Trucks took a major step forward by conducting the first-ever tests of these trucks on public roads. However, they didn't choose just any ordinary road for this endeavour. To create a more demanding and challenging scenario, the tests were conducted above the Arctic Circle in the frigid northern region of Sweden.
The extreme cold climate and the difficult conditions encountered on public roads in this area, including ice, wind, and heavy snowfall, provide an ideal environment for testing. Helena Alsiö, the VP of Powertrain Product Management at Volvo Trucks, expressed her satisfaction with the progress of the tests, which have successfully validated previous digital simulations and experiments conducted on the confined test track near Gothenburg.
Fuel cell electric trucks, powered by hydrogen, are particularly well-suited for long-distance journeys where relying solely on batteries may not be feasible, especially in rural areas lacking charging infrastructure. Volvo Trucks currently boasts the widest range of battery electric trucks in the industry, featuring six models in series production that cater to various transport routes within and between cities. The fuel cell electric trucks are expected to become available in the second half of this decade, with testing involving hauliers commencing a few years prior to their commercial launch.
In an effort to expedite development, Volvo Group has partnered with Daimler to collaborate on the creation and production of fuel cell systems specifically tailored for heavy-duty vehicles. For hauliers seeking zero exhaust emission transportation options right now, Volvo Trucks already offers a diverse selection of six battery electric models, as well as trucks running on renewable fuels like biogas.
