{"id":13837,"date":"2022-06-04T17:08:14","date_gmt":"2022-06-04T15:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=13837"},"modified":"2022-06-04T17:08:14","modified_gmt":"2022-06-04T15:08:14","slug":"hydrogen-37","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2022\/06\/04\/hydrogen-37\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydrogen\u2019s future in trucking has steep hill to climb"},"content":{"rendered":"
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For hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to be adopted at-scale in the trucking industry, there are hurdles that must be overcome.<\/div>\n
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Of course, there are questions when looking to adopt a new technology\u2014and it’s no different when it comes to hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). How do I fuel the vehicle? Where are the fueling stations? Do I need to buy both the vehicle and a fueling station?<\/p>\n

The hub-and-spoke duty cycle, where trucks return to base each day, is gaining in viability for FCEVs, noted Wido Westbroek, senior director of fuel-cell strategic projects for\u00a0Cummins<\/a>, \u201cand so, you\u2019re not looking at the long-distance haulers where they need to have fueling along the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this scenario, an FCEV with a range of 500 miles would not need to rely on a public hydrogen fueling infrastructure station but rather would fuel up at home base. A fleet would need several FCEVs to justify installing their own fueling infrastructure, though, Westbroek added.<\/p>\n

And installing those hydrogen fueling stations at scale will remain a major hurdle. According to the latest U.S. Department of Energy data, California has seven heavy-duty fueling stations, with two more planned. The light-duty space has far more options, with 54 open and 34 planned.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other big barrier, of course, is cost,\u201d Westbroek said of what is preventing more heavy-duty hydrogen infrastructure. \u201cWhenever anything starts, the first few, the first 100, even the first 1,000, are way more expensive than when you have tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe costs of hydrogen, vehicles, and hydrogen production all must come down significantly to make hydrogen economically competitive with alternatives,\u201d noted Mike Roeth, executive director of the\u00a0North American Council for Freight Efficiency<\/a>, which released\u00a0a detailed confidence report on the viability of FCEVs<\/a>. After speaking with industry experts and researchers, Roeth surmised that \u201cthese costs will be reduced through scale and innovation over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Graphic: NACFE<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Factors<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

What makes the uphill climb even steeper is that diesel, already proven and with bountiful infrastructure, provides a cost advantage for fleets, which operate on slim margins as it is.<\/p>\n

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