Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2024 - 36

ORIGINAL
EQUIPMENT
ACT Expo: Honda showcases Class 8 hydrogen fuel-cell truck concept
Honda debuted a Class 8 hydrogen fuelcell
truck concept - a Peterbilt Model
579EV battery-electric tractor retrofitted
with three new Honda fuel cell (FC)
systems - at the 2024 Advanced Clean
Transportation (ACT) Expo on May 20.
Honda announced plans for the proofof-concept
truck in January when production
began at General Motors' and
Honda's joint venture Fuel Cell System
Manufacturing, LLC (FCSM) facility in
Brownstown, Michigan.
Honda says the commercial truck
kicks off a new demonstration project
aimed at expanding production of fuelcell-powered
products for the North
American market. The OEM is seeking
collaborations with medium- and
heavy-duty truck manufacturers, as well
as partners and customers in other domains
that show potential for fuel-cell
applications. Honda did not partner
with Peterbilt on the concept truck.
" Commercial vehicles, including Class
8 trucks, where fuel cells offer the best
zero-emission replacement for existing
diesel applications, are a key part of
Honda's broad hydrogen business strategy, "
said Ryan Harty, assistant vice
president, sustainability and business
development, American Honda Motor
Co., Inc. During a keynote to kick-off the
Ultra Clean Heavy-Vehicle Summit at the
ACT Expo on May 22, Harty said that
Honda has more than 200 " serious inHonda
engineers
retrofitted
a
Peterbilt Model
579EV batteryelectric
tractor
with three new
Honda fuel cell
(FC) systems.
The truck
debuted at the
2024 ACT Expo
on May 20.
quiries " from companies looking to integrate
its fuel cells into their products.
" To be clear, we are not planning to
build Class 8 trucks ourselves, " he said.
" Our purpose here is to inspire new and
existing truck OEMs to enable their decarbonization
plans using Honda's fuel
cells. So, our important message this
week [at ACT Expo] is that our order
book is open, and Honda is actively
seeking new business partners to help
bring these hydrogen fuel-cell solutions
to market here in North America. "
Hydrogen has unique advantages
compared to batteries, Harty said, such
as higher energy density and faster refueling
time. " This makes hydrogen a
good power source for products with
long use schedules, " he said.
Honda has identified four core domains
for the initial utilization of its new
FC system: fuel cell electric vehicles
(FCEVs) for personal mobility, commercial
fuel-cell vehicles, stationary power
stations, and construction equipment
such as excavators and wheel loaders.
Honda hopes to stimulate greater demand
for hydrogen by expanding the
applications of its FC system beyond
passenger vehicles.
A peek at one
of three Honda
FC systems
packaged in
the Class 8
demonstration
truck.
36 June 2024
Operational demonstration truck
The Class 8 demonstration truck revealed
at ACT Expo is operational,
Harty assured. Estimated driving range
is 400 miles (644 km) at 37,273 kg
(82,173 lb) gross combination weight
(GCW). The tractor's target weight is
12,918 kg (28,479 lb) with a load weight
of 24,355 kg (53,694 lb). Top speed is
an estimated 70 mph (113 km/h).
Co-developed by Honda and GM over
the past decade, the Honda FC system
advances performance and doubles
durability while reducing cost by twothirds
compared to the previous generation.
" Honda's been elevating the
performance of our fuel-cell systems by
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
ALL IMAGES: SAE/RYAN GEHM
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2024

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