Hydrogen truck surpasses US GHG standards

Michael Nash examines the potential use of hydrogen in the heavy-duty commercial vehicle market

US authorities have recently released the final greenhouse gas (GHG) Phase II rules that will be applied to medium- and heavy-duty vehicles made between MY2019 and MY2027. The 1,650-page report identifies various approaches that will ensure emissions reduction and efficiency improvement.

While most of these are focused on the continual improvement of diesel trucks, the paper also highlights the potential adoption of alternative fuels like natural gas (NG). Nikola Motor, a company that will launch its first Class 8 vehicle on 1 December 2016, has stated that the Phase II standards can be met and even surpassed with the adoption of trucks that use hydrogen-electric fuel cells.

 

AutomotiveWorld.com, 31 Aug 2016

The one and only

In a recent interview with Automotive World, Nikola’s Chief Executive Trevor Milton outlined the benefits of the Nikola One – the company’s first Class 8 truck set for launch in December. “Air quality is so important to our health and our future generations. We must ensure they have cleaner air than we currently have,” he noted.

The OEM has recently announced that its electric drivetrain will be powered by a custom-built hydrogen-electric 800-volt (800-v) fuel cell that boasts a range of over 1,200 miles. Milton affirmed that the model would do 20mpg while producing no emissions under a full load, “surpassing all the government mandates set forth for the next ten years, including the Phase II GHG standards.”

He also said that the company would construct over 50 hydrogen stations across the US to support the deployment of the Nikola One. “The desire to be 100% emission free in the US and Canada is a critical piece of our long-term engineering and environmental efforts, not just in vehicle energy consumption, but also in how energy is produced,” Milton observed. “Nikola will produce hydrogen via zero emission solar farms built by Nikola Motor Company. These solar farms will produce over 100 megawatts each and will use electrolysis to create hydrogen from water. Even our manufacturing facilities will be run off of zero emission hydrogen energy.”

Costly concerns

Speaking to Automotive World, Kevin Mak, Senior Analyst for Powertrain, Body, Chassis & Safety at Strategy Analytics, said: “I knew Nikola Motor was developing an electric truck, and was half expecting a hybrid powertrain for long-range trucks since the battery demand for a pure electric vehicle (EV) would be too great.”

Although the use of a hydrogen-electric fuel cell powertrain may alleviate range anxiety, Mak voiced his concern over the lack of fuelling infrastructure across the US and Canada that would serve Nikola One drivers, suggesting that more hydrogen stations need to be built. “I am rather disappointed that the OEM is building solar farms, because they will use a lot of energy just to convert water into hydrogen,” he added. “It is a highly inefficient way of using renewable energy, and costly too.”

Mak thinks that Nikola could have much to learn from Daimler, which has adopted the ‘hub and spoke’ system to identify types of haulage vehicles used for different deliveries. “Diesel will remain prominent for long distance heavy-duty deliveries to major depots, while smaller electric trucks are used to deliver from major depots to urban destinations because of bans on combustion engines,” he confirmed.

The German OEM recently unveiled its Urban eTruck, designed specifically for inner-city distribution. Daimler is confident that electrification is the right fit for small commercial vehicles that operate in cities, while diesel will remain the fuel of choice for long haul heavy-duty trucks for the foreseeable future.

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