Volvo has revealed a hydrogen fuel-cell truck with a range of up to 1,000 km and a refuelling time of less than 15 minutes, the Swedish car manufacturer announced on June 20th. 

The hydrogen fuel-cell trucks due to be added in the second half of this decade, will join a carbon neutral portfolio of battery electric trucks and trucks that run on renewable fuels such as biogas. 

The trucks will have a total weight of around 65 tons or higher and two fuel cells with the capacity to generate 300 kw of electricity. The fuel cells will be supplied by cellcentric – the joint venture between the Volvo Group and Daimler Truck AG.

“We have been developing this technology for some years now, and it feels great to see the first trucks successfully running on the test track. The combination of battery electric and fuel cell electric will enable our customers to completely eliminate CO2 exhaust emissions from their trucks, no matter transport assignments,” said Roger Alm, President of Volvo Trucks in a press statement. 

“Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks will be especially suitable for long distances and heavy, energy-demanding assignments. They could also be an option in countries where battery charging possibilities are limited,” Alm added

There are many advantages to using fuel cell technology. However, there are two main hurdles to its development: large-scale supply of green hydrogen and the lack of refuelling infrastructure. 

“We expect the supply of green hydrogen to increase significantly during the next couple of years, since many industries will depend on it to reduce CO2. However, we cannot wait to decarbonize transport, we are already running late. So, my clear message to all transport companies is to start the journey today with battery electric, biogas and the other options available. The fuel cell trucks will then be an important complement for longer and heavier transports in a few years from now," said Alm.