Chart, Hyzon to develop liquid hydrogen-powered truck with a 1,000-mile range

Chart Industries is combining its liquid hydrogen expertise with Hyzon Motors’ zero emission vehicle manufacturing experience to develop a liquid hydrogen-powered heavy-duty truck with a range of up to 1,000 miles.

Formalising the collaboration today (6^th July), the duo said they hope to revolutionise long-haul trucking with the use of liquid hydrogen – something that Daimler Trucks is also exploring.

Through utilising liquid hydrogen in place of gaseous hydrogen, Chart and Hyzon hope to benefit from numerous advantages, such as extended mile ranges and improved payload capacity.

That being said, one of the challenges is integrating mobile tanks that store liquid hydrogen, which require temperatures of –423 °F, with a vehicle’s fuel cell that requires ambient temperature hydrogen gas.

By working together, the duo hopes to develop a solution to overcome the above. 

Under the model to be developed, the number of heavy-duty fuelling stations needed for these trucks becomes significantly less than the quantity needed for trucks using gas storage tank systems.

Further to that, the infrastructure capital and operating costs are reduced with the elimination of the compression and refrigeration equipment needed for 700 bar vehicles.

Commenting on the venture, Craig Knight, CEO of Hyzon Motors, said, “With the current technology, fuel cell electric vehicles provide solutions for back-to-base trucking models.”

“The extended range would significantly accelerate the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle over-the-road transport solutions given the reduced infrastructure needs and increased refuelling hub utilisation.”

Jill Evanko, CEO and President of Chart Industries, added, “With our over 55 years making liquid hydrogen equipment, we are excited to see this application for our liquid onboard hydrogen tank.”

“Hyzon is a great partner for this, not only for their fuel cell capabilities, but also for their customer base that is ready for this long-haul heavy-duty solution now - not in five years.