The Future is Here

TRUCK INNOVATION AWARD 2022

by ITOY

DAF has received not one, but two, awards from the International Truck of the Year (IToY) jury.

Words: Steve Banner Photographs: DAF Trucks

The New Generation XF, XG and XG+ scooped the top accolade for 2022. However DAF also captured the jury’s 2022 Truck Innovation Award for its XF Hydrogen; a prototype 4x2 tractor unit equipped with a hydrogen combustion engine rather than a fuel cell.

The award underlines the manufacturer’s commitment to low- and zero-emission power trains as it looks to the future; but there is no need for customers to wait. Some of the environmentally-beneficial solutions it has been discussing are available right now.

HVO

An environmentally-friendly alternative to ordinary diesel that can be used instantly in any modern DAF engine without the need for modifications, HVO - hydrotreated vegetable oil - is made from renewable waste materials such as plant oils and animal fats. On sale today, it can slash well-towheel CO2 emissions by up to 90% or more.

Particulates tumble by up to 85% claim its supporters, while NOx emissions are down by up to 29%. Because it produces less NOx, the truck will consume less AdBlue.

HVO is what is known as a dropin fuel. It can either be used on its own or mixed with fossil diesel in a haulier’s bulk tank or a truck’s running tanks. No special storage arrangements are required.

It is odourless and noncarcinogenic, and if it is spilled on the ground then it biodegrades in under two months. It burns cleanly too, with zero smoke. Trucks that run on it do not need any additional servicing, and filters do not require replacing more frequently. Nor does its use have any impact on residual values.

On the downside it is around 10% more expensive than standard diesel, and is not available at filling stations. It can be purchased in bulk by operators right now however from a growing number of fuel distributors.

Hydrogen

Not available yet, but perhaps not too far away, are near-zero-emission DAFs which use hydrogen as a combustion fuel such as the awarding-winning XF Hydrogen prototype referred to earlier.

Engines powered by hydrogen are lesscomplicated and cheaper than a hydrogen fuel cellbased power train, and potentially more robust. They are less-sensitive to the quality of hydrogen used than a fuel cell, and perhaps better-suited to heavyduty applications; including operating at 44 tonnes.

The engine XF Hydrogen uses is a heavily-modified PACCAR MX-13 12.9-litre with spark-ignition.

At just 200hp and 1000Nm, power and torque output are admittedly modest, but increases are in the pipeline. A 270hp version was in test cells at the time of writing, with a 500hp version anticipated for the future.

Equipped with four hydrogen tanks at 350 bar with a total capacity of 90 litres, the prototype’s range between refills is modest too, at just 120km. With more tanks future models should be able to reach 600km, says DAF.

The IToY jury praised the prototype’s handling characteristics, seamless acceleration and userfriendly human/machine interface.

Said jury chairman Gianenrico Griffini: “A transition to CO2-neutral transport requires a wide array of viable solutions. Hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine vehicles can pay a role in the future power train mix for medium- and long-haul applications.”

Electric

DAF has a portfolio of zero-emission battery-electric trucks that can be ordered today. The line-up consists of a 19-tonne LF Electric, a 27-tonne 6x2 CF Electric rear steer and a 37-tonne 4x2 CF Electric tractor unit.

Their ranges extend from 220km to 280km - and while they won’t get you from London to Carlisle without being recharged en route, they can certainly handle short-haul local distribution work.

Electric trucks are not cheap to acquire, but they are undoubtedly cheap to run. The electricity required to power them is a fraction of the cost of diesel, and they do not attract eyewatering daily charges if they enter a clean air zone. DAF is now marketing a range of fixed and mobile electric vehicle charging stations from its parent company PACCAR.

A charging capability of from 20kW to 50kW can support the daily operations of an individual truck recharged during the course of an evening or overnight, DAF says. A 22kW charger should be able to replenish an LF Electric’s battery pack in no more than ten hours, it suggests.

What if you need to recharge it more quickly? Opt for a 250kW fast-charger and it should get up to approaching full charge in less than an hour.

Twenty LF Electrics fitted with data logging equipment are being used in

DAF LF Electric - battery electric truck

a programme designed to support the Department of Transport’s efforts to encourage truck fleets to go batteryelectric.

Several public sector bodies are taking part in the initiative, with eleven of the vehicles going to different National Health Service operations around the country. The remaining nine will go to local councils, supporting recycling schemes and making deliveries to schools.

Two CF Electric tractor units have already been ordered by Cardiffbased international freight forwarder Freight Systems Express Wales: the UK’s first order for battery-electric heavy tractor units.