New hydrogen fuel cell electric truck unveiled
At the 2017 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach, California, UPS unveiled its new zero-emission, all-electric delivery truck, powered by Ontario-built hydrogen fuel cell technology. The new Class 6 truck will enter commercial service later this year in California. Sixteen more trucks will be deployed by the end of 2018.
UPS designed the powertrain using an off-the-shelf, 31 kW fuel cell, manufactured by Canadian fuel cell developer Hydrogenics; a pair of hydrogen tanks, each of which can hold 5 kg of compressed hydrogen; and a 45 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that will accumulate the electricity produced in the fuel cell and discharge it to the motor as needed. This allows the fuel cell to generate power at a relatively steady state, while the battery meets the demand for shorter bursts of power during acceleration. The battery will also recover energy during deceleration (i.e., regenerative braking). This design reduces the overall size and cost of the fuel cell and battery pack, and approximates the longer range and fast refueling characteristics of a diesel-powered delivery truck.
- Full story at Trucks.com.
- Photo: UPS hydrogen fuel cell electric delivery truck (UPS in trucks.com).