Hydrogen, fully electric, or both? Heavy-duty trucking has some big decisions to make

Published

2 years ago

April 17, 2023

admin

Last year, a truck undertook a series of journeys across the Brenner Pass, a high-altitude route linking Italy and Austria that plays an important role in the transportation of goods in Europe.

So far, so normal. This vehicle, however, was different: A hydrogen-powered prototype, it used fuel cells and, according to manufacturer Daimler Truck, emitted nothing but water vapor.

In a statement issued in November, the business said it was planning further tests of its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck in mountainous areas.

“The development goal is a range of 1,000 kilometers [a little over 621 miles] and more,” the firm said, adding that it was targeting series production in the second half of the 2020s.

Daimler Truck’s tests, which are ongoing, represent just one example of how companies involved in the freight sector are looking at hydrogen.

Others include Volvo Trucks. In Sept. 2022, it said it would begin testing fuel cell electric trucks in what it called “commercial traffic” from 2025.

“Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks will be especially suitable for long distance and heavy, energy-demanding assignments,” the business, which is part of the larger Volvo Group, said.

“They could also be an option in countries where battery charging possibilities are limited,” it added.

In a sign of how collaboration could be key to the development of hydrogen powered mobility, Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group have also set up cellcentric, a joint venture focused on the manufacture of fuel cells.

The above moves come at a time when plans are being made to reduce overall transport-related emissions, including those from larger vehicles crucial to the freight industry.

The U.K., for example, has said it wants all new heavy goods vehicles there to be zero emission by 2040.

Over in the U.S., California is aiming for half of all heavy-duty truck sales in the state to be fully electric by 2035.

Elsewhere, the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, is looking to toughen up CO2 emissions standards for heavy duty vehicles like trucks.

It says this category of vehicle — which also includes long-distance and city buses — accounts for over 25% of greenhouse gas emissions from road transport within the bloc, and more than 6% of total GHG emissions there.

With major economies planning for a future centered around low and zero-emission technologies, efforts to decarbonize the freight sector will have to be ramped up.

It’s therefore no surprise that alongside hydrogen, battery electric vehicles are also being considered for trucking.

These include the Tesla Semi, Daimler Truck’s Mercedes-Benz eActros and the Volvo FH Electric. Other companies like Scania and DAF are also operating in the battery electric space.

A range of options

When it comes to the road based transportation of goods, the question of whether one technology will become dominant is an open one.

Jonathan Walker is head of cities and infrastructure policy at trade body Logistics UK.

Citing the example of firms operating van fleets traveling “relatively limited ranges in their day to day operations,” he told CNBC that “quite a significant shift … towards electric vans” was being seen.

“Clearly, electric works very well for that sort of … urban operation,” he added, before noting that question marks still remained when it came to “the big, long distance routes.”

“We know battery technology is coming along, but hydrogen … offers the closest comparator to diesel currently, so we believe, at least in the short to medium term, it will be a mixture.”

Other organizations trying to sketch out how the decarbonization of vehicles involved in the sector will develop include Brussels-based campaign group Transport & Environment.

“For two-thirds of road freight activity under 400 km, battery electric trucks are the most-competitive technology and are soon going to reach cost parity with conventional diesel trucks from a total cost of ownership (TCO) perspective,” it says.

“Which zero-emission technology out of battery electric and hydrogen will prevail in the long-haul segment is less certain,” T&E adds.

“Battery electric long-haul trucks are likely to be more cost-effective and more energy efficient, whereas hydrogen fuel cell trucks may offer increased flexibility in terms of refuelling and may be better suited to certain niche applications.”

Hydrogen’s challenges

Described by the International Energy Agency as a “versatile energy carrier,” hydrogen has a diverse range of applications and can be used in a wide range of industries.

One method of producing hydrogen involves electrolysis, a process through which an electric current splits water into oxygen and hydrogen.

Some call the resulting hydrogen “green” or “renewable” if the electricity used in the process comes from renewable energy installations like wind or solar farms.

Today, the vast majority of hydrogen generation is still based on fossil fuels.

“If you look at hydrogen, for example, as a country we need to decide what it is we want to use hydrogen for,” Walker said.

He added that there were discussions “about using hydrogen for heating, using it for the railways, using it for road transport, obviously there’s a demand for hydrogen in the chemical sector.”

“But that that needs to be determined as a country, because, you know, while hydrogen is plentiful, it’s also kind of costly, and not without its own environmental issues to produce it.”

Infrastructure key

Regardless of what technology comes out on top, one thing is certain: An extensive network for refueling and recharging hydrogen fuel cell or battery electric vehicles will be required if these vehicles are to gain any sort of foothold within the sector.

Logistics UK’s Walker told CNBC that this didn’t exist today, and stressed the importance of creating one.

“You need that resilience in the network to ensure that, actually, if a vehicle is suddenly … running out of range, through no fault of the driver, they are able to go and refuel quickly and continue their journey.”

Change on that front appears to be coming. Within the EU, for example, efforts are being made to create the conditions that would enable hydrogen trucks to travel long distances.

In March 2023, the European Commission welcomed a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and Council of the EU on the deployment of “sufficient alternative fuels infrastructure.”

The agreement contains targets related to charging stations for heavy-duty EVs and hydrogen cars and lorries.

Elsewhere, Element 2, which is based in the north of England, says it’s building a “national network of hydrogen refuelling stations … across the UK [which has left the EU] and Ireland.”

The future

As well as being used in road-based vehicles, hydrogen could also have a role to play in rail freight, with big businesses like Alstom and Engie working on fuel cell projects.

Looking ahead, Logistics UK’s Walker stressed the importance of pushing ahead with “trials of both battery electric and hydrogen HGVs for longer distance freight journeys.”

These trials, he added, needed to be “conducted swiftly, effectively and with regular reporting so the industry can … keep abreast of what is being learned.”

If trials showed a particular technology was proving “really promising” then this would in turn give industry “the confidence to work with manufacturers to invest in new technology.”

“And we will hopefully see a sort of virtuous circle of investment by the industry, [which] requires greater investment in infrastructure. And those two things go hand in hand.”

Environment

Tesla tops 36 car Autopilot test, affordable Model Y spied, and a $5,000 EV

Published

4 hours ago

July 28, 2025

admin

Tesla tops 36 car Autopilot test, affordable Model Y spied, and a ,000 EV

Credit where credit is due: in a massive, 32-car multinational independent test, Tesla’s Autopilot ADAS came out on top, the new affordable Tesla turns out to be a corner-cutting Model Y, and one of the company’s original founders compares the Cybertruck to a dumpster. All this and more on today’s episode of Quick Charge!

Today’s episode is brought to you by Retrospec – the makers of sleek, powerful e-bikes and outdoor gear built for everyday adventure! To that end, we’ve got a pair of Retrospec e-bike reviews followed up by a super cute, super affordable new EV from China with nearly 150 miles of range for less than $5,000 USD.

PLUS: listeners can get an extra 10% off by using code ELECTREK10 at retrospec.com!

Source Links

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (most weeks, anyway). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Environment

Tesla teases new Roadster as ‘the last best driver’s car’

Published

5 hours ago

July 28, 2025

admin

Tesla teases new Roadster as 'the last best driver's car'

Tesla is again teasing the new Roadster, which is now five years late, as “the last driver’s car” before self-driving takes over.

The chicken or the egg. Is Tesla delaying the Roadster to match the development of self-driving technology, or is it delaying the development of self-driving technology to match the delayed release of the Roadster?

The prototype for the next-generation Tesla Roadster was first unveiled in 2017, and it was initially scheduled to enter production in 2020; however, it has been delayed every year since then.

It was supposed to achieve a range of 620 miles (1,000 km) and accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

It has become a sort of running joke, and there are doubts that it will ever come to market despite Tesla’s promise of dozens of free new Roadsters to Tesla owners who participated in its referral program years ago.

Tesla used the promise of free Roadsters to help generate billions of dollars worth of sales, which Tesla owners delivered; however, the automaker never delivered on its part of the agreement.

Furthermore, many people placed deposits ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 to reserve the vehicle, which was initially scheduled to hit the market five years ago.

When unveiling the vehicle, CEO Elon Musk described it as a “halo car” that would deliver a “smack down” to gasoline vehicles.

That was almost eight years ago, and many electric hypercars have since launched and delivered this smackdown.

Tesla has partly blamed the delays on improving the next-gen Roadsters and added features like the “SpaceX package,” which is supposed to include cold air thrusters to enable the vehicle to fly – Musk has hinted.

Many people don’t believe any of it, as Tesla has said that it would launch the new Roadster every year for the last 5 years and never did.

Now, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s head of vehicle engineering, made a rare new comment about the next-generation Roadster during an interview at the X Takeover event, an annual gathering of Elon Musk cultists, last weekend.

He referred to Tesla’s next-gen Roadster as the “last best driver’s car” and said that the automaker did “some cool demos” for Musk last week:

We spent a lot of time in the last few years rethinking what we did, and why we did it, and what would make an awesome and exciting last best driver’s car. We’ve been making it better and better, and it is even a little bit more than a car. We showed Elon some cool demos last week and tech we’ve been working on, and he got a little excited.

The timing matches Musk’s recent claim that Tesla is going to have ‘the most epic demo ever, ’ but we heard that one before.

We suspected that the comment might be about the Tesla Roadster, as the CEO made the exact same comment about Roadster demos in 2019 and 2024. You will not be shocked to hear that these demos never happen.

Electrek’s Take

The “last best driver’s car” before computers are going to drive us everywhere. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy if you continue to delay the car. It might literally be the last car ever made that way. How would we ever know?

The truth is that the Roadster was cool when it was unveiled in 2017, but that was a long time ago. Tesla would need to update the car quite a bit to make it cool in 2025, and I don’t know that cold air clusters are it. You will have extreme limitations using those.

The Roadster is almost entirely in the “put up or shut up” category for me at Tesla. They need to stop talking about it and make it happen; otherwise, I can’t believe a word.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Environment

Kia’s electric van spotted in the US again, but will it ever launch?

Published

7 hours ago

July 28, 2025

admin

Kia's electric van spotted in the US again, but will it ever launch?

The PV5 is already available in several markets, but will Kia launch it in the US? After Kia’s electric van was spotted testing in the US again, a US debut could be in the works.

Is Kia’s electric van coming to the US?

Kia launched the PV5, the first dedicated electric van from its new Platform Beyond vehicle (PBV) business, in South Korea and Europe earlier this year, promising it will roll out in “other global markets” in 2026.

Will that include the US? Earlier this year, Kia’s electric van was caught charging at a station in Indiana. Photos and a video sent to Electrek by Alex Nguyen confirmed it was, in fact, the PV5.

Kia has yet to say if it will sell the PV5 in the US, likely due to the Trump Administration’s new auto tariffs. All electric vans, or PBVs, including the PV5, will be built at Kia’s Hwaseong plant in South Korea, which means they will face a stiff 25% tariff as imports.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

Following another sighting, a US debut cannot be ruled out. The PV5 Passenger model was spotted by Automotive Validation Engineer Chris Higa (@Chrisediting) while testing in Arizona.

There’s no denying that’s Kia’s electric van, but it doesn’t necessarily confirm it will launch in the US. But it could make sense.

Despite record first-half sales in the US, Kia’s EV sales have fallen significantly. Sales of the EV9 and EV6 are nearly 50% less than in the first half of 2024.

To be fair, part of it is due to the new model year changeover, but Kia is also doubling down on the US market by boosting local production. Earlier this year, Kia said the EV6 and EV9 are now in full-scale production at its West Point, GA, facility.

The PV5 Passenger (shown above) is available in Europe with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh, rated with WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo variant has the same battery options but offers a WLTP range of either 181 miles or 247 miles.

During its PV5 Tech Day event last week, Kia revealed plans for seven PV5 body types, including an Open Bed (similar to a pickup), a Light Camper, and even a luxury “Prime” passenger model.

Kia PV5 tech day (Source: Kia)

Kia is set to begin deliveries of the PV5 Passenger and Cargo Long variants in South Korea next month, followed by Europe and other global markets, starting in Q4 2025. As for a US launch, we will have to wait for the official word from Kia.

Do you want Kia to bring its electric van to the US? Drop us a comment below and let us know your thoughts.

Source: Chris Higa, TheKoreanCarBlog

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.