Hyzon runs first customer demo of liquid hydrogen truck

Hyzon Motors, along with Performance Food Group, one of the largest food and foodservice distribution companies in North America, and Chart Industries, a leading manufacturer in the clean energy and industrial gas market, have announced the successful completion of Hyzon’s first commercial run with a liquid hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle.

Starting in Temple, Texas, the truck completed deliveries to eight PFG customers near Dallas, travelling over 860km on a 16-hour continuous run including over 38-degree temperatures. Hyzon said the run demonstrates the viability of on-board liquid hydrogen to fuel long-distance, zero-emission transport.

“With increased range and no added weight in comparison to our gaseous hydrogen trucks, we believe this liquid hydrogen demo run has demonstrated potential viability for the future of liquid hydrogen in commercial trucking,” said Hyzon Chief Executive Officer, Parker Meeks.

“The results we captured in the strenuous demo through Central Texas’s diverse terrain and summer heat make us optimistic that, once commercialised, our liquid hydrogen vehicle powered by our proprietary 200kW fuel cell system should be able to provide long distance range of between 650 and 800 miles (1000 and 1300km), on par with many diesel-truck range requirements.”

Compared to gaseous hydrogen, the current industry standard, liquid hydrogen allows Hyzon to increase the amount of fuel on board significantly thanks to increased energy density, with no changes to vehicle weight or payload.

To maintain the energy-dense liquid state, hydrogen requires cold temperatures of minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Hyzon partnered with Chart Industries to develop a tank system capable of storing liquid hydrogen at extremely cold temperatures and delivering it to the fuel cell system at the necessary pressure.

“This is a meaningful accomplishment for the hydrogen ecosystem, as long-haul and heavy-duty transport is a key end-use for liquid hydrogen,” said Jill Evanko, Chart’s CEO and President.

“Our investment in our unique cryogenic liquid hydrogen on-board tank and our liquid hydrogen test facility support progress in the hydrogen industry, with the Hyzon and PFG road demonstration another key step in the evolution of hydrogen commercialisation.”

Liquid hydrogen as a fuel source has been estimated to be up to $US5 per kilogram less expensive to dispense than high-pressure gaseous hydrogen, which would provide meaningful benefits to fleet owners.

“Simply put, we see liquid hydrogen as the economical approach to long-range zero-emission trucking,” Mr Meeks concluded.