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Volvo's Hydrogen Trucks: A 3-Year Journey
May 31,
2023
By
David Blekhman
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Volvo completes its fuel cell truck testing above the Arctic Circle in
winter 2023VOLVO
Precisely 3 years ago, I wrote my debut article for Forbes about the
exciting collaboration between Volvo and Daimler to manufacture
hydrogen trucks. This news came shortly after my return from the
Fulbright exchange program, where I had the privilege of working at
Chalmers University in Gothenburg, Sweden. The city is also the home
of Volvo's headquarters, manufacturing, and testing facilities. While
there, I had the opportunity to consult Volvo engineers on various
hydrogen-related topics. Therefore, when the joint venture
announcement, now known as cellcentric, was made, I felt a sense of
satisfaction for my small contribution to the process.
Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with top executives from Volvo
to discuss the progress made over the past three years since the joint
venture's announcement. Johan Lunden, Senior Vice President of Volvo
Group Truck Technology, and Keith Brandis, Vice President of
Partnerships and Strategic Solutions for Volvo Trucks North America,
joined me in this conversation.
It is worth noting that Daimler trucks has been Volvo's fiercest
competitor. However, in May 2021, the two companies formalized their
partnership through the creation of cellcentric, a joint venture with
a 50-50 ownership structure. While Daimler had been producing its own
fuel cells for passenger cars and was the first fuel cell vehicle, I
ever encountered back in 2006, it later (circa 2018) shifted away from
the passenger market while retaining its fuel cell manufacturing
capability. Similarly, Volvo had early involvement with fuel cells in
the power auxiliary units for its trucks. The group of engineers
working on fuel cells eventually separated from Volvo and formed
PowerCell, which partnered with Bosch for support and product
development around 2019. Bosch's fuel cells are now utilized in Nikola
trucks. As such, the spirit of Volvo innovation endures. cellcentric
plays a crucial role for both companies in helping their goals to
decarbonize their transportation systems, albeit with different paths
to that common point.
In June 2022, cellcentric Fuel Cell Canada Inc.,
originally rooted in Germany and Sweden, relocated to a
state-of-the-art facility near Vancouver, Canada. This new location
offers proximity to renowned fuel cell giants like Ballard, Loop
Energy, and Greenlight, providing a rich local pool of expertise and
workforce. The focus of cellcentric is to achieve fuel cell excellence
in the heavy-duty transportation sector, and they have developed a
fuel cell stack capable of delivering up to 150 kW of net power.
Volvo unveiled its first cab-over truck powered by a dual fuel cell
stack power plant, generating a combined output of 300 kW, in June
2022. From cellcentric, Volvo acquires the fuel cell stack, designing
it with its own balance of plant equipment to ensure optimal
performance. Additionally, Volvo develops its own software and
optimization strategies tailored to the specific needs of end-users in
different markets. The company has accumulated years of expertise in
vehicle electrification through projects such as Volvo LIGHTS
completed in North America. The development of the fuel cell truck was
accelerated through the implementation of Volvo’s CAST (common
architecture shared technology) model, whereby the existing electric
truck architecture was augmented to incorporate fuel cell system and
hydrogen storage components. Unlike battery-electric trucks, fuel cell
trucks offer advantages such as quick refueling, long range, and
higher load capacity. Moreover, Volvo successfully tested the fuel
cell truck above the Arctic Circle during this winter, where fuel
cells' water production poses challenges due to freezing temperatures.
Crystals of ice can damage the sensitive components in the fuel cell
stack. Demonstrating successful control strategies for drying fuel
cells during shutdown and restarting them in the cold, is a necessary
step in the vehicle development.
Green Play Ammonia™, Yielder® NFuel Energy.
Spokane, Washington. 99212
www.exactrix.com
509 995 1879 cell, Pacific.
exactrix@exactrix.com
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