UK-based startup Tevva launched a heavy hydrogen electric vehicle on Thursday, making it the latest company in the sector of interest from multinational companies such as: Daimler truck And Volvo.
According to Tevva, it has raised $ 140 million, but the range of the vehicle is up to 310 miles, or less than 500 km.
It takes 10 minutes to refill the hydrogen tank and 5-6 hours to charge the battery “from fully exhausted to 100%”.
The company’s first hydrogen electric truck weighs 7.5 metric tons, with later versions planned to weigh 12 metric tons and 19 metric tons.
In a statement, Tebba sought to explain the rationale behind the combination of fuel cells and batteries. “The fuel cell system replenishes the battery, extends the range of the vehicle and allows trucks to carry heavier loads over longer distances.”
In addition to the hydrogen electric truck, the company has also developed an electric truck that has a range of up to 160 miles. Details of both electric and hydrogen electric trucks were previously published by Tevva.
In an interview with CNBC’s Street Signs Europe on Thursday, Tevva CEO Asher Bennett was asked if his company was considering diversifying into smaller cars.
“I’m not interested in developing small vans and pickup trucks,” Bennett said. “These are techniques that are very similar to large EV sedans that often work very well,” he added.
“We are very focused on heavy trucks and they are a much harder segment to electrify, so they will gradually get heavier.”
As governments around the world seek to reduce the environmental footprint of transportation, many companies in the truck sector are looking for ways to develop low-emission and zero-emission vehicles, including vehicles that use hydrogen. ..
Last month Volvo Trucks said that We have started testing vehicles that use “hydrogen-powered fuel cells”. The Swedish company claims that its range can be a little over 1,000 kilometers, or 621 miles.
Volvo Trucks, headquartered in Gothenburg, said it took less than 15 minutes to refuel the vehicle. Customer pilots are expected to begin in the coming years, and commercialization is “planned for the second half of the last decade.”
In addition to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, Volvo Trucks, a member of the Volvo Group, has also developed battery electric trucks.
Like Volvo Trucks and Tevva, Daimler Truck focuses on both battery-powered electric vehicles and hydrogen-powered vehicles.
In an interview with CNBC last year, Daimler Truck’s Board Chairman Martin Daum said: I was asked about the discussion between rechargeable fuel cells and hydrogen fuel cells.
“Both … make sense, so we choose both,” he replied, then explaining how different technologies are appropriate for different scenarios.
There is excitement in some areas about the potential of hydrogen vehicles, but there are hurdles when it comes to sector expansion, especially the development of adequate refueling infrastructure. The method of producing hydrogen is also a problem.
Both of these points were acknowledged by Volvo Trucks in June, which pointed out challenges such as “a large supply of green hydrogen” and “the fact that the refueling infrastructure for large vehicles has not yet been developed.”
Hydrogen can be produced in a variety of ways. One method involves the use of electrolysis, where the electric current divides the water into oxygen and hydrogen.
If the electricity used in this process comes from a renewable energy source such as wind or solar, some call it “green” or “renewable” hydrogen. Today, most hydrogen production is based on fossil fuels.
Tevva said it would help customers “ensure safe and convenient access to a sustainable and affordable hydrogen supply in parallel with the purchase or lease of Tevva hydrogen trucks.”
