Austrian logistics company DB Schenker has revealed its ambitions to gradually build up a fleet of hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric vehicles in cooperation with rental startup Hylane, which specialises in hydrogen solutions for the logistics sector.
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Earlier this month, representatives from DB Schenker paid a visit to a Hyzon, a hydrogen-powered truck manufacturer, in Groningen, Netherlands to take a look at its first fuel cell truck
Hylane is set to hand the vehicle over to the company by the end of the year.
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"I'm grateful to see the progress we are now making towards testing a hydrogen-powered vehicle for linehaul transportation, which will be an important step on our journey towards carbon-neutral road transportation," said Helmut Schweighofer, CEO of DB Schenker Europe.
"We are proud to support DB Schenker's pioneering work with our trucks," added Sara Schiffer, Managing Director of Hylane. "The partnership with DB Schenker demonstrates that Hylane meets the high standards leading companies require for sustainable transport. Together, we will continue to work on advancing the use of hydrogen trucks in Europe."
Hylane and DB Schenker began collaborating almost two years ago, with both companies highlighting the importance of hydrogen for the transformation of the transport sector.
"In addition to a 360-degree rental concept, the aim of the collaboration is to develop a swap-body truck-trailer combination to carry our standard swap-body type with a length of 7,820 mm," said Wolfgang Janda, Executive Vice President, Head of Network & Linehaul Management at DB Schenker.
"This is new in the market and will allow us to decarbonise without any loss of efficiency in our land transport network."
Fuel-cell-powered trucks offer several advantages in long-distance transport as compared to battery-electric vehicles; The maximum payload is higher, the range is greater, and the refuelling process is comparable to diesel.
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DB Schenker plans to start field tests on a few lanes with selected customers at the beginning of 2023. It is also looking to upscale and commercialise operations beginning in Q3 2023, though the progress of this will depend on factors such as hydrogen infrastructure and market acceptance, the company says.
DB Schenker, together with its carriers, aims to be carbon-neutral by 2040, with the use of green hydrogen - hydrogen produced using renewable energy sources - being an essential element of itss decarbonisation strategy.
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