The first so-called ‘Fuelcell’ Hyundais will take to the roads in 2019. The full fleet of 1,000 must be up and running by 2023. The market for electrically powered trucks is in full swing. An increasing number of truck manufacturers are announcing that they will soon be bringing electrically-powered models onto the market.

Transport and Logistics Netherlands (TLN) fully supports this development. "It is badly needed. After all, in the Netherlands, we are working toward having only electrically propelled trucks in our inner cities from 2025 - the so-called Zero Emission vehicles", says the TNLs Rob Aarse.

Transitional arrangements: a controversial topic
At the moment, there are hardly any of these trucks for sale. There is, therefore, a lot to be done in the coming years. Trucks currently have an average depreciation period of eight years. So, there will have to be a transitional arrangement for these trucks after 2025. In the TLNs vision, only Euro VI vehicles that run on sustainable biofuels should receive an inner-city exemption.

The transitional arrangement seems to be a controversial subject. Some see it as unclear and as an obstacle to the development of Zero Emission technology. Other see it as inevitable. The electric trucks and the loading infrastructure needed for them are, for the time being, not yet available. A problem like this requires a solution.

Hydrogen technology
Providing the infrastructure needed for the inner cities can, for the most part, be done for the types of trucks that mainly drive in the city centre. Electric box trucks are, despite their limited range, best suited for this type of transportation. When it comes to tractor trailers, this limited range is a problem. They have to travel from a regional distribution center and offload in the city center. Yet, from 2025, the Zero Emission requirements will apply to these vehicles too.

In addition to hybrid concepts, the use of hydrogen technology seems to be very well-suited to this. Here, it is actually about a electrically-propelled tractor. The energy needed is brought along in the vehicle in hydrogen form. How does this work? The vehicle does drive on electricity; the hydrogen is merely the energy source. A fuel cell converts the vehicles hydrogen into electricity. This propels the trucks motor.

Expanding the range
Hydrogen applications have one massive advantage over battery-stored electric propulsion. It can extend the vehicles range. The development of hydrogen-electric trucks is still in its infancy. However, producers are not sitting idle, even at this level. Take Hyundais announcement of their 1,000 hydrogen trucks. Switzerland is the testing ground. The required hydrogen filling stations are also to be built in that country.

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