World's first hydrogen truck fleet soon to hit Swiss roads

A milestone project in Switzerland to integrate hydrogen technology into a fleet of 50 trucks is set for completion this year, introducing the world's first hydrogen-fuelled truck fleet.

The Hyundai Xcient Fuel-Cell trucks are used for supermarket deliveries and the transportation of other goods across the Alpine country. The 19-tonne vehicles come equipped with systems from Luxfer, a manufacturer of high-pressure composite and aluminium cylinders.

The hydrogen fuelling the trucks will be delivered by more than 400 Luxfer G-Stor H2 hydrogen cylinders which are Canadian-made but assembled in the company's UK base in Nottingham.

In a statement, Mark Lawday, a director at Luxfer Gas Cylinders, said: “We’ve been working with Hyundai for around ten years on prototypes, as Hyundai is hugely committed to hydrogen power.

"Our role is to provide the knowledge of a complete fuel system to bring their ideas to life. There is significant interest in hydrogen and CNG across the world, and governments are now committing to cleaner transport technology as a route to meeting zero-emission targets.”

The Hyundai H2 Xcient trucks are made in South Korea with a number already in operation in Switzerland where they are leased out through the automotive company's joint venture with H2 Energy to retailers and logistics companies.

The final systems are approaching completion and it is anticipated that they will join the fleet later this year.

Hyundai made the first shipment of 10 Xcient trucks to Switzerland in July 2020 and there are plans to have a further 1,600 hydrogen trucks on Swiss roads by the middle of the decade.

“It is not enough to produce a truck” said Mark Freymueller, chief executive of Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility. “You have to take care of the entire ecosystem, find like-minded partners and show this all makes sense for the customer.”

Luxfer expects that hydrogen will become increasingly attractive for the transportation of heavy goods, as the costs of transitioning to cleaner fuels and greener transport are supported by government funding.

Lawday said: “Switzerland is an ideal market for hydrogen-powered trucks, thanks in part because the country generates more than half of its energy from hydropower, so if this can be used to generate the hydrogen then it completely eliminates emissions.

“There are a number of benefits [that] hydrogen can deliver over other low emission alternatives, such as battery electric vehicles [BEV].  Hydrogen fuel cells can generate more power when pulling heavier loads uphill than an equivalently-sized battery, and offer a greater range.

“Ultimately, hydrogen will be more economically viable than BEV for truck fleets specifically because of the faster fuelling times. Hauliers cannot afford to have their stock laid up several times per day charging, and the burden that simultaneous charging of a complete fleet puts on the local electricity grid becomes cost-prohibitive, so that’s where hydrogen is the best solution.”

The Hydrogen Council has predicted that there will be 350,000 hydrogen-powered trucks and 50,000 buses on the world's roads by 2030.

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