Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2023 - 14

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS
Load bearing
During his presentation, Stephenson cited a recent study by
Kenworth that demonstrated the advantages of fuel cells
compared to batteries for large trucks in terms of carrying
capacity. The study claimed that to provide a 350-mile (565km)
range for a Class 8 tractor-trailer with a 70-gallon (265-liter)
diesel tank, the battery required would weigh in at roughly
16,800 lbs (7,620 kg). By comparison, a hydrogen fuel cell
would be able to provide the same range with a tank and fuel
weight of roughly 4,320 lbs (1,959 kg).
The total weight of a full 70-gallon diesel tank is roughly
850 lbs (385 kg). As such, the FCV system would only represent
a 3% decrease in carrying capacity versus the diesel
powertrain, whereas the BEV solution would eat up 28% of
the truck's carrying capacity. " When you talk to anyone in the
logistics business, the idea that you're only going to be able
to carry three-quarters of the load is a real problem. Even if it
has the same range and refuel time, " Stephenson said.
" One of the things to understand about how batteries and
hydrogen work [relates to] the differences between power
and energy, " Stephenson explained. " What electric vehicles
with batteries are extraordinarily good at is being able to deliver
power quickly. This is why BEVs are able to accelerate so
well. You don't have any latency and you have the instant
availability of power. "
Stephenson continued, asking " But what if you need more
energy? If you need a longer range or carry a heavy load, you
need to add more hydrogen on board, which has a very small
impact of the overall weight and range. [This is why] tomorrow's
energy infrastructure is not going to be one size fits all. There is
not going to be one solution that works for everything. What
works for commercial trucks may not work best for cars; what
works best for ships may not work best for trains, and so on. "
New leadership
Stephenson also cited the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of
2022 as a watershed moment for the growth in hydrogen investment.
" Most of the Europeans view the Inflation
Reduction Act as a real gamechanger in terms of U.S. participation
and leadership in these types of programs, " he said.
" Prior to that [Act] I would get asked, what do the
The catalyst is 40% of a fuel cell's overall cost due to its PGM (platinum
group metals) content. Pajarito Powder plans to commercialize catalyst
formulations that cut the amount of platinum in half.
why we think this makes sense is that the heavier the load
and longer this distance, the better that fuel cells are for that
application. The medium- and heavy-duty vehicle is the real
sweet spot. "
" We're [also] very excited about what the H2
Europeans think and Asian countries think about the United
States' overall investment in these technologies? The reply in
the past was that we need that leadership coming from the
U.S. but that we've been back and forth with them on it repeatedly.
So, the fact that they view this as a gamechanger
was to me a bold statement. "
Indeed, the U.S. Department of Energy has provided much
industry looks
like for the future, " Stephenson continued. " One of the interesting
barometers is the level of venture capital investment.
From 2020 to 2021, we saw a dramatic uptick in the overall
amount of investment. And the expectation is that investment
to grow again by the end of 2022. "
14 April 2023
greater incentive for clean hydrogen production than the federal
government has in the past. Under the IRA, there is now a
tax credit of up to $3 per kg of hydrogen produced so long as
it is created through " clean " sources. The target for the DOE is
reportedly to achieve a production price of $1 per kilo by the
end of the decade.
Matt Wolfe
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
PAJARITO POWDER
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2023

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