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June 28, 2023
By Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Fuel Cell Trucks Are Facing a Danger Worse Than Weight:
Hydrogen Costs
The truck market is fascinating in the sense that
it takes no nonsense: cost is king. That said, people are still trying
to propose a feasible carbon-neutral alternative to diesel trucks.
Electric semis do not seem to be a solution. Their battery packs will
rapidly degrade with fast charging, this process takes a long time,
and they are much heavier than other trucks, which restricts their
cargo capacities. According to Alexander Vlaskamp, fuel cell trucks do
not make the cut either because of hydrogen prices.
![](images/images_07_06_2023/fuel-cell-trucks-face-a-danger-worse-than-weight-that-s-hydrogen-costs-217098-7.jpg%20copy.jpg)
The MAN CEO told the Austrian newspaper Der
Standard that "hydrogen is far too expensive, almost four to five
times what it would be interesting for our customers to use it.
Therefore, hydrogen will only be used in a small segment in Europe,
such as for special transport." This would be the reason for MAN to
bet on buses and trucks with battery packs. A bit more context may
help explain that.
MAN belongs to the Volkswagen Group, which is betting everything on
battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Vlaskamp even said that this
technology "is mature and most efficient." Although the second part is
true, the first is a lot more controversial. The debates regarding
range, thermal runaway risks, battery pack swapping, and new cell
technologies show nothing is set in stone for BEVs, even if automakers
such as Tesla and Volkswagen would love us all to believe this is the
case.
![](images/images_07_06_2023/fuel-cell-trucks-face-a-danger-worse-than-weight-that-s-hydrogen-costs_13%20copy.jpg)
That said, any executive from the German
automaker that said anything against BEVs and in favor of fuel cells
would have to fear getting the pink slip. On the other hand, they
would also avoid stating anything that would be easy to deny or which
had no factual confirmation. That said, hydrogen prices must really be
high, which makes the cost per mile of transportation more expensive
than it should be. If the transportation expenses are higher, so are
the prices of the products that need to be transported.
Anyone trying to manufacture and sell hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will
have to worry about two things: maintenance costs and refueling
expenses. Toyota knows that and already announced its Hydrogen Factory
to address the situation. Summing its plans up, it will present a fuel
cell that will only demand repairs much later than a diesel engine
would – in 2.5 times what an ICE truck requires. However, the larger
maintenance-free interval would not help if hydrogen prices were as
high as Vlaskamp stated they currently are. Toyota is working to bring
that down with hydrogen production.
![](images/images_07_06_2023/fuel-cell-trucks-face-a-danger-worse-than-weight-that-s-hydrogen-costs-thumbnail_15_REV1.jpg%20copy.jpg)
Photo Toyota
On June 26,
the Japanese automaker announced its first pieces of equipment to make
green hydrogen from chicken manure and food waste would be installed
in Thailand in November 2023. The hydrogen will be extracted from
biogas coming from these renewable sources. Toyota will also make
green hydrogen with renewable energy and electrolysis but will use
fuel cell technology to do that. The Japanese automaker did not
clarify in which way fuel cells can help electrolysis be more
efficient.
Supposing Toyota, Nikola, and other companies that want to promote
hydrogen use succeed, the MAN CEO may have to review the company's
plans due to the more competitive operating costs. Meanwhile, Vlaskamp
recognizes he will have a lot of work with the company's battery
electric trucks. As he pointed out, it will be a challenge to use them
as refrigerated trucks or garbage trucks. They need energy
respectively to keep the storage chamber cold and to compact trash,
which will significantly reduce their ranges.
![](images/images_07_06_2023/fuel-cell-trucks-face-a-danger-worse-than-weight-that-s-hydrogen-costs-thumbnail_38.jpg%20copy.jpg)
Another challenge will be to fast charge these
trucks and buses. European truck drivers have to stop for 45 minutes
each four hours for safety reasons. That would be the ideal moment to
recharge their trucks, but the battery packs in these machines are
much larger than those in BEVs, which already take around 30 minutes
to fast charge. Another hurdle is that fast charging does not take
place all the way until 100% capacity but only until 80%. That's a
measure to save time and preserve the battery pack. The resulting
shorter range adds to other difficulties a truck powered by batteries
could face, such as cold weather and steep terrain with long climbs.
Vlaskamp estimates that Europe will need "over 20,000 stations along
trunk roads and motorways by 2030 in order to carry out around 30
percent of logistics transport electrically." Remember, they will not
be stations for BEVs: they will have to be designed specifically for
trucks, which "will cost several billion euros." The MAN CEO will also
have to find a way to make these electric trucks cheaper. In his
words, "e-trucks are significantly more expensive to buy than today's
diesel vehicles." His argument is that "they are far cheaper" to
operate, which is only accurate, while the battery pack does not have
to be replaced. Try to see if anyone repeats that story that they will
last as much as the truck, as they do with BEVs: no one would dare to
say that, at least with the current cell technology.
Green Play Ammonia™, Yielder® NFuel Energy.
Spokane, Washington. 99212
www.exactrix.com
509 995 1879 cell, Pacific.
Nathan1@greenplayammonia.com
exactrix@exactrix.com
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