The world is changing rapidly, and in order to keep up with the times, you need local knowledge with a global background.
The world is changing rapidly, and in order to keep up with the times, you need local knowledge with a global background.
By 2030, the UK plans to ban the sale of gasoline and diesel engine vehicles. To this end, automakers are moving away from internal combustion engines and focusing on electrification. It's not just Britain. California - a coastal state that has always had strict emission legislation - also recently signed an executive order with the goal of banning gasoline-engined cars by 2035. Automobile manufacturers realize that they need to provide comprehensive products to meet the requirements and attract environmentally conscious consumers. Electric cars have not yet taken off in South Africa due to concerns about load shedding, pricing and mileage. In the United Kingdom, the United States and China, charging infrastructure means that electric car drivers can travel longer distances without worrying about running out of batteries. In South Africa, where people often travel long distances, electric cars are simply not practical... Eighteen-wheel trucks travel long distances to transport goods back and forth. Their large diesel engines are of course an environmental issue. But how do you power electric trucks? Below, William Boston of The Wall Street Journal discusses the two most popular options: battery power or hydrogen fuel cells," said Andreas Kammel, head of Traton’s alternative drive and autonomous driving strategy. The continuous improvement of batteries may ensure that batteries are maintained. Stable. Ahead of hydrogen. The battery system will achieve cost parity with diesel in the mid-2020s, 10 years earlier than hydrogen."-Jarryd Neves, Automotive Correspondent
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As long-distance trucking shifts to electrification, automakers are betting on which technology is best to replace diesel
William Boston of The Wall Street Journal
Worth am Rhein, Germany-Felix Kauffmann grabbed the top rung of the ladder, lifted himself into the cab, slid behind the wheel, and reached forward to start the motor on the 40-ton drilling rig.
When the diesel fuel is ignited, there is no wheezing, coughing, or slight explosive knocking, and there is no black smoke from the chimney. There is no need to wait for the rig to charge, and there is no need to unplug the power cord of the charging station. Mr. Kaufman, a vehicle software developer at Daimler Trucks AG, pressed the start button. The electric motor started humming, drawing energy from the hydrogen fuel cell instead of the battery. In less than a minute, the machine cruised at 55 mph.
"In order to achieve the same performance, we must be equipped with batteries that weigh at least several tons," Mr. Kaufman said.
The GenH2 truck is Daimler's hydrogen fuel cell prototype to deal with one of the biggest challenges in the next decade: how to clean up the business of transporting goods along the world's highways and small roads.
Given the regulatory pressure to reduce transportation emissions, it is difficult for the transportation industry to find anyone who doubts that the future of trucking is electric. But as vehicle prototypes that may replace today's diesel rigs are launched, a new technological battlefield is emerging: hydrogen fuel cells and batteries.
Like diesel tanks, hydrogen tanks can be filled up quickly, minimizing road time. Batteries are heavy, and their range is still limited. However, the production of hydrogen requires more energy and a network of producers, transporters and gas stations that does not exist today. Batteries are relatively cheap, charging infrastructure is more widely available and faster to roll out.
Some truck manufacturers such as Daimler, which owns Freightliner in the United States; Toyota Motor Corporation; Volvo AB and others are betting that the future of long-distance trucking is fuel cell engines powered by hydrogen. Daimler and Volvo operate a joint venture to produce fuel cells.
But other automobile companies, such as Traton SE, the truck division of Volkswagen, which owns Scania, MAN, and Navistar brands, are putting their chips on batteries. They believe that battery technology will make such great advances in the next ten years. Become the power system of the car. Choose from delivery trucks to powerful semi-trailer trucks. Scania said that a battery electric truck will be launched within a few years, which can tow 40 tons of cargo in 4.5 hours and quickly charge it during the 45-minute mandatory rest period of the driver.
There is currently no clear choice as to which technology will be better. Many things will happen in the next three to five years.
— Art Vallely, President of Penske Truck Leasing
This discussion is reminiscent of past technology battles, such as the battle between Betamax and VHS for the dominance of the video market. This battle was lost to cheaper and easier-to-use competitors by many technologically-leading Sony Betamax.
Even if hydrogen energy eventually becomes a better technology, if the development time is too long and battery technology continues to improve, it may eventually be difficult to open up the market. Batteries may eventually become imperfect but good enough technology.
"Now we are at a point where we need to explore both because it is not obvious," said Stephanie Brinley, an automotive analyst at the research group IHS Markit. "Hydrogen has been the next generation solution for 20 years. It may eventually be the solution for the next story forever."
Art Vallely, president of Penske Truck Leasing, said that the industry is currently in the testing phase and the company has a fleet of more than 350,000 commercial vehicles. For the past few years, trucking companies have been testing battery electric vehicles in short-distance scenarios, but have not yet been able to test fuel cell trucks because they are only now available as prototypes.
"There is currently no clear choice as to which technology will be better," he said. "In the next three to five years, many things will happen."
Both technologies have their own advantages and disadvantages, including their respective infrastructure requirements.
Electric truck batteries, like their passenger car cousins, need to be plugged in and charged regularly. The energy stored in the battery powers the electric motor. Batteries have been greatly improved in the past decade, but they still provide limited range on a single charge, and it still takes a long time to charge the battery. There are also very few fast charging stations. But today there are battery-electric electric medium-, heavy-duty and light-duty delivery trucks available, which puts the battery in a leading position.
Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, and hydrogen and oxygen are stored in storage tanks. The electricity generated by the fuel cell powers the electric motor in the truck. The hydrogen tank can be refilled, just as cars and trucks are filled up next to the pump today. But today, there are only a few hydrogen refueling stations in the United States and Europe, and they are not ready for production and distribution networks for industrial-scale consumption.
Analysts say that the production of hydrogen is now an energy-intensive process that offsets any climate benefit of zero-emission vehicles. This is why automakers rely on so-called green hydrogen, even if it is produced from renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric power or solar power.
IHS Markit American Commercial Vehicle Group senior research analyst Greg Genette said that the use of hydrogen fuel cells in the largest semi-tow trailers will lag behind battery electric trucks for as long as ten years. He said that by 2030, battery electric trucks will account for about 14% of new truck sales in the United States, while hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will account for only 1%.
Daimler stated that it will provide customers with vehicles for testing in 2023. But it will take years for governments, hydrogen producers and other institutions to build the necessary infrastructure.
Truck manufacturers and energy companies began to invest in it. In October, Daimler and energy group BP PLC stated that they will jointly build hydrogen infrastructure, including the establishment of up to 25 hydrogen refueling stations in the UK by 2030.
"In the end, it is not the product that is lost, but the infrastructure," said Martin Daum, CEO of Daimler Trucks.
The cost of hydrogen is also prohibitive, although the manufacturers who bet on it say that prices will fall in the next few years. Daimler stated that for fuel cell trucks to be competitive, the price per kilogram of green hydrogen must fall from the current 8 euros to about 4 euros (4.61 US dollars).
Mr. Daum firmly believes that once all the components are put together, fuel cell trucks will become a better choice for long-distance trucks because they will be more convenient to operate and have a longer running time due to the short refueling time.
Andreas Kammel, head of Traton's alternative drive and autonomous driving strategy, said that continuous improvements in batteries may ensure that batteries are one step ahead of hydrogen. He said that the battery system will achieve cost parity with diesel in the mid-2020s, 10 years earlier than hydrogen.
"Batteries have significant advantages, and this advantage will continue to exist," he said. "The cheap thing will eventually win."
Some fleet operators believe that both technologies will be used, but for different purposes.
Schneider National Inc., a freight company headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, plans to deploy 50 battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia trucks on the intermodal route in southern California next year. These trucks can pick up containers from the ship for further transportation.
Although hydrogen lags behind battery technology in development, Rob Reich, the company's executive vice president and chief administrative officer, said that unless the battery is significantly improved, hydrogen fuel cells can eventually be better on long-distance routes of 500 miles or more. To work.
"From what we have seen so far, battery electric trucks have limited long-term cruising range and are likely to be used in shorter regional transportation applications," he said. "Fuel cell trucks are a better zero-emission solution for medium and long distances."
Does he believe that the market will develop like this? "The word persuasion may be too strong," he said. "This year we have had a good experience on a battery electric truck. We will take this opportunity to test a fuel cell truck next year or the following year."
Write to William Boston [email protected]
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Appeared in the print edition on November 10, 2021, under the name "THE COMING BATTLE OVER ELECTRIC TRUCKS".
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