Elddis Transport

from Motor Transport 10 October 2022

by Motor Transport

ECM

Selected European customers expected to test latest fuel cell vehicles

Volvo eyeing 2025 for hydrogen truck trials

By Carol Millett

Volvo Trucks is planning to roll out customer testing of its hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks in 2025.

The trucks, which only emit water vapour, are currently undergoing intensive testing and have an operational range comparable to diesel trucks of [up] to 1,000km.

The pilot phase will see selected customers in northern Europe test the vehicles on public roads, using green hydrogen from renewable sources, which will be provided at operators’ depots.

The trucks are targeted at the long-distance and heavy-duty truck markets and at countries with limited battery charging possibilities. They will use two fuel cells with a capacity to generate 300kW of power and will have a refuel time of less than 15 minutes.

Jessica Sandström, Volvo Trucks SVP of global product management (pictured), said: “The tests will run in a demanding, harsh climate and also give us a great opportunity for driving with heavy loads up to 65 tonnes.”

The technology is still in an early phase of development with “some challenges” remaining – not least the large-scale supply of green hydrogen and the need to develop fuelling infrastructure.

To overcome the lack of available hydrogen during the pilots, green hydrogen from renewable sources will be provided at the home depot.

“We expect the supply of green hydrogen to increase significantly during the next couple of years, since many industries will depend on it to reduce CO2. The fuel cell trucks will be important for longer and heavier transportations in a few years from now,” Sandström said.

Freeway boosts Elddis visability

Elddis Transport is rolling out new mobile working technology as part of a programme to digitise the workshop.

Workshop fitters are being equipped with rugged tablets to replace paperwork, as part of a fleet maintenance system from Freeway Fleet Systems.

Freeway also receives drivers’ daily vehicle inspection data from mobile, which along with the workshop digital data gives Elddis a complete and real-time insight into the status of the fleet.

The Consett-based family firm specialises in the storage, supply and delivery of consumer goods for supermarkets and retail outlets.

Transport operations are given around-the-clock visibility of the status of the fleet through integration between Freeway and the Mandata transport management system (TMS). In turn, the workshop is provided with immediate information on defects using data received from mobile terminals used by drivers.

FLEET OPERATOR