Hydrogen Heavy Trucks: Toyota Teams Up with VDL Groep
This page is translated from the original post "Poids lourds à hydrogène : Toyota s’allie avec VDL Groep" in French.
- 15/05/2023 11:45
Toyota partners with VDL Groep to decarbonize its logistics sector with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
The partnership between the Dutch company VDL Groep and the Toyota brand will be fruitful in the long term. Indeed, both are joining forces to offer hydrogen heavy-duty trucks, which will charge as quickly as diesel trucks but produce less pollution.
Decarbonizing transportation, that is transitioning to greener energies, is one of the major challenges for truck carriers and shippers. In France, they accounted for 17,071 registered vehicles between January and April 2023 (according to AAA Data).
In addition to the slow transition to 100% electric for passenger vehicles, we also need to consider mobility solutions for heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks and buses. In this regard, the partnership between Toyota and VDL Groep will be important for the future of utility mobility.
What solutions for the heavy-duty vehicle sector?
Due to their mass and weight, heavy vehicles require more power to move. This partly explains why the transition to more environmentally friendly and less polluting vehicles is slow.
Some manufacturers of heavy vehicles, such as Scania (trucks) and Daimler (buses and trucks), are seeking to innovate in electric technology. Scania offers a long-distance truck with a 624 kWh battery, of which 468 kWh are usable. This provides an autonomy of up to 350 km (40 t GVW) and 250 km (64 t GVW). The battery needed for one of these vehicles is equivalent to that of 7 passenger cars.
As a result, some heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers have turned to hydrogen, including Toyota now. Hydrogen systems are justified by a weight savings that allows for more cargo load. Additionally, according to Toyota, refueling is as fast on a hydrogen vehicle as on a diesel vehicle. This is very useful during long-distance trips.
A challenge for the development of this sector is infrastructure, especially if Toyota and VDL Groep want to promote hydrogen as the fuel of the future for heavy-duty vehicles. According to H2 Mobile, which lists hydrogen refueling stations, there are currently 42 across France. Of these, 29 are open. This number is still far from enough to meet current demand. Perhaps an investment opportunity for the Ministry for Ecological Transition?
Read also: Hydrogen retrofit for Renault Master
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