Kenworth in the United States has shown its support of hydrogen fuel cell technology by showcasing a hydogen fuelled T680 in Washington.
Revealed at the Paccar Technical Centre, the fuel cell Kenworth uses six tanks of compressed hydrogen and a fuel cell stack to offer an initial range of 100km, suitable for short-haulage.
The hydrogen T680 features a dual-rotor traction motor and 100kWh lithium-ion battery pack with an output of 421kW and is capable of a legal gross combination weight of a Class 8 vehicle. Top speed is 104km/h.
The T680 fuel cell truck is part of a US$2.8 million Zero Emission Cargo Transport (ZECT) project managed by the Southern California South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).
Funding has been provided by the US Department of Energy, and the partnership is also working on a second project using a natural gas-powered engine with a “generator to extend the battery range”.
Kenworth director of product planning Stephan Olsen says the day-cab T680 fuel cell truck has already shown good signs in trials.
“Our testing shows that this truck performs equally as well, if not better than, current diesel trucks on the market,” Olsen says.
“There is a lot of promise, and we see the day where Kenworth’s zero and near-zero emission trucks could be a common sight in regional operations.”
Toyota’s own hydrogen fuel cell truck has been conducting similar short-haul trials in California from the Port of Los Angeles, with daily trips estimating around 321km per day.
Toyota’s Class 8 fuel cell truck is capable, according to Toyota, of a 36-tonne-plus payload with 499kW and nearly 1800Nm of torque generated from two of the Mirai sedan’s fuel cell stacks.
The Nikolai One fuel cell truck, also Class 8, unveiled last year, claims up to 1931km in range and is teased for release in 2020 with a chain of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in certain US and Canadian states.
