John G Russell will become one of the first operators to start running hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) in its daily operations after it took ownership of three Scania prototype trucks.
The vehicles form part of the ZENFreight project, part of the government-funded zero emission HGVs and infrastructure demo (ZEHID) programme.
Scania described the occasion as an important milestone in the UK’s HGV decarbonisation journey, as the three trucks will become the first fuel cell HGVs to go into full real-world operational testing.
Stephen Madden, group fleet engineer at the Glasgow-based transport firm, said: “We identified early on that hydrogen could play a critical role in delivering a true carbon zero solution for non-urban logistics.
“In response, we built partnerships with organisations and experts who could help bring hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to the UK, alongside investing in the infrastructure needed to support them.
“This is an exciting opportunity to build confidence in zero-emission freight. By operating three of Scania’s prototype FCEVs in the UK, we are proud to be at the forefront of a pioneering initiative that will help accelerate the transition to cleaner, greener logistics.”
The Scania fuel-cell vehicles were developed by the manufacturer’s pilot partner division in Sweden and they form part of a prototype fleet of 16 trucks in Europe conducting field testing with customers.
They are based on Scania’s 6x2*4 battery electric truck platform. Each is fitted with a 400kW electric machine and installed battery capacity of 416kWh, giving the truck a predicted range of up to 300km in electric-only mode – at a GVW of 44 tonnes.
Added to these vehicles is a 300kW Cummins fuel cell engine situated under the cab. At the rear of the vehicle are storage tanks capable of storing up to 56kg of hydrogen pumped in at a pressure of 700 bar. A cooling fan system regulates the coolant’s temperature.
With the support of the fuel-cell technology Scania said this extended to a total estimated range of up to 850km.
Dr Isabella Panovic, programme manager – zero emission road freight, Innovate UK, said:
“John G Russell and Scania’s UK-first deployment of hydrogen fuel cell HGVs is an important step for the ZEHID programme and demonstrating the real-world operation of zero-emission freight technologies.
“The insights gained from these vehicles will be invaluable in helping industry and government understand where hydrogen can play a role alongside battery electric solutions in delivering a net zero freight future.”
