DAF homes in on hydrogen amidst EV expansion hurdles
DAF Trucks sees hydrogen as a promising niche fuel for trucks in a post-diesel age, and its parent company Paccar is working on fuel cell and combustion technologies on both sides of the Atlantic.
The main advantage over battery-electrics is that longer ranges can be achieved without compromising payload by fitting large, heavy, batteries.
Phil Moon, DAF’s UK marketing manager, told Transport Operator that Paccar was developing a fuel-cell version of the Kenworth T680 in North America with a 1000 km range, while in Europe work continued on a DAF hydrogen-powered combustion-engined truck with an 800 km range.
There were, however, hurdles in the way.
“It’s technically much more difficult than producing a battery-electric vehicle: it will only be affordable in markets where diesel has become impractical.
“Hydrogen internal combustion is not considered zero-emissions in the UK – at least not yet. However, the hydrogen internal combustion truck may get to market before the fuel cell one does.”
Chemistry was also against the fuel cell. Using grid electricity to charge a battery truck yielded an efficiency of almost 70 per cent, while using grid electricity to create hydrogen by electrolysis, then transporting the hydrogen to the point of use, filling the vehicle’s tank and using a fuel cell to convert it back into electricity was less than 30 per cent efficient.
Meanwhile Louis Jones, DAF’s UK EV and connected services director, expressed concern that the government was doing little to encourage demand for battery-electric trucks beyond the current ZEHID demonstration projects.
“For instance, it’s difficult to get new battery-electric vehicles accepted for the government’s plug-in truck grant scheme.”
More truck-accessible public chargers were needed, and energy prices on them had to be competitive. Booking systems to reserve charges needed to be cross-compatible, and charging companies needed to be able to get faster National Grid connections for sites.
Future changes to legislation might indirectly increase demand for electric trucks. These could include above-inflation fuel duty increases on diesel, a growing number of zero-emissions zones in urban areas, and preferential road pricing for BEVs.
Phil Moon added that current electric truck users were choosing them for non-commercial reasons, and the ultimate objective was for price compatibility between electric and diesel trucks. The variability of comparative energy pricing between electricity and diesel was a constraint on this, but, he said, when all operational costs were taken into consideration, “we could see price compatibility on certain vehicle types in eight years’ time.”
He warned that government deadlines for ending the sale of heavy-duty diesel trucks of 2035 and 2040 did not look particularly achievable in the current environment.
“Our biggest short-term concern is to get the volumes of battery-electric trucks up. Sales volume is needed in each product development cycle. Without government intervention we will struggle to meet the 2035 and 2040 deadlines.
“Fuel duty is a chain that the government can pull,” he suggested.