PACCAR explores electric future

While it may have been the new Kenworth K220 and DAF XG+ that were grabbing the limelight at the PACCAR Australia stand at the recent 2023 Brisbane Truck Show, it was another pairing of trucks from the same brands that were hinting at the manufacturer’s drive towards a zero-emissions future.

At the far corner of the stand was a Kenworth T680 FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), while sitting alongside it was a DAF LF Electric BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle).

The Kenworth T680 prime mover had been shipped to Australia from the Port of Los Angeles, where it’s been hauling freight to assess the viability of its hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system as part of a collaboration between Kenworth and Toyota Motor North America. Kenworth designed and built the Kenworth T680 FCEV while Toyota developed and supplied the FCEV powertrain.

The truck on display is number eight of just 10 that were produced for the $US82.5 million ‘Shore to Store’ (S2S) project, which seeks to “nearly match the performance of diesel-powered trucks utilised in freight forwarding, while eliminating emissions to provide a sustainable solution in heavy-duty transport”.

PACCAR says the truck has a range of around 480km when loaded to a GCM of 37 tonnes, and with a quick 20-minute refill time could potentially run two shifts per day to cover up to 800km. The truck features two 115kW fuel cells, a 470kW electric motor, and a four-speed Eaton automatic transmission. It also offers 60kg of hydrogen storage (stored at a pressure of 700 bar), along with a 12kWh battery. Furthermore, PACCAR says the Kenworth T680 FCEV reduced greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 75 metric tons over a year, compared to a regular diesel-engined truck.

According to Jonathan Crellin, PACCAR Australia Product Program Manager, Alternative Fuels, the Kenworth T680 FCEV has exceeded expectations.

“‘Shore to Store’ was a very successful project, and so successful that Toyota and PACCAR announced a collaboration for a production version at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in California recently,” he said.

“So those trucks will be going into limited production for the US market in 2025. There’s already customer interest in these trucks but they will be around three times more expensive than a diesel truck.”

Mr Crellin said PACCAR has partnered with researchers to evaluate the vehicle here in Australia.

“This is a demonstration vehicle – you’ll notice the Deakin Hycel sticker on the truck,” he said.

“They are our research partner and they did assist us in getting this vehicle into the country. We want to do some digital twinning studies between diesel and hydrogen to learn about the applicability of the application here in Australia.

“We want to have the ability to drive it on the road and we’re talking with the NHVR and VicRoads for that, but more than likely we’ll be running PACCAR customer events with the truck at the Australian Automotive Research Centre at Anglesea, with a trailer on the back.”

Alongside the Kenworth T680 at PACCAR’s Brisbane Truck Show stand was a DAF LF Electric – a battery-electric truck that showcases the Dutch brand’s push into electrification.

Mr Crellin said the display truck actually arrived in Australia from DAF’s Leyland factory in the UK late last year, and is now finally ready after a variety of shipping and bodybuilding delays.

“It’s here for evaluation purposes and it’s the only one here – this is very much a limited production truck in the UK, but the next development of the LF will have higher production [volumes],” he said.

“We’re going to run it as our parts truck and offer it up for limited customer trials. From a PACCAR point of view, we really want to understand the operation of this truck and how this truck works in the Australian environment – to understand range, payload, and so on.”

The DAF LF Electric is 2.5 metres wide but, like some other electric truck models, is constricted by Australia’s 6.5-tonne front axle mass limit.

“It’s good to have this truck here so we can show the likes of government what the challenges are,” said Mr Crellin. “This truck, with the body it has on it, has a 10-tonne tare mass. So it’s five tonne on the steer, five on the back, so you have a real limitation in terms of what you can put on it. It’s two tonne heavier than a diesel, so that has to come off the payload.

“This is actually rated to 19 tonne in the UK and in Europe, but we can only get 16.5 tonne here because of our axle mass limits.”

Mr Crellin said the LF Electric would eventually be replaced by the new DAF XD Electric, which was unveiled at the IAA commercial vehicle expo in Hanover, Germany, last year, and which recently commenced production at DAF’s new electric vehicle plant in Eindhoven, Netherlands. That truck has a width of 2.55 metres, along with the same mass issues.

“With three batteries strings, that XD is 7.3 tonne on the steer, and with five battery strings and a bigger range, about 400 kilometres, it’s 8.5 tonne on the steer,” said Mr Crellin. “So we’ll never get that truck here unless we get some [changes to Australia’s width and axle mass limits].”