Chinese startup launches gaseous-hydrogen truck

A Chinese start-up has unveiled the world’s first gaseous-hydrogen-powered truck with a range of more than 1,000km.

Guangzhou-based Hybot says its H49 vehicle will only require 8kg of H2 per 100km when travelling at high speed with a full cargo load of 49 tonnes — partly due its low weight of less than nine tonnes, and partly due to a fuel cell that it claims is 20% more efficient than rivals’ technology.

Hydrogen fuel-cell trucks normally have a fuel consumption of 9-9.2kg per 100km — 12.5-15% higher than the H49 — according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.

Germany’s Daimler has also unveiled a truck that can travel further than 1,000km on a single tank, but that runs on cryogenic liquid hydrogen — which contains 50% more energy by volume than gaseous hydrogen at 700 bar, and is not dispensed at any public H2 filling station.

The H49 also has a secondary use for its fuel cell — the hot water generated as a by-product of electricity production is used in the shower room and sink at the back of the driver’s cab, a useful addition for long-distance journeys.

The vehicle is also equipped with “high-speed autonomous driving”, including automatic lane changing; the ability for problems to be diagnosed remotely; and software updates via the cloud — leading to comparisons with Tesla in the Chinese media.

Hydrogen trucks will be more expensive to own and operate than battery equivalents in Europe until at least 2040: report Hybot was jointly founded in December 2021 by Chinese investor Beijing Huaxia Shunze, conglomerate Guangdong Guangwu Holding Group and a hydrogen fund affiliated with the Beijing Tsinghua Industrial Development Research Institute.