Companies have begun to embrace electric semis, but they come with significant tradeoffs. While you’re likely thinking about range and recharging times, that’s just scratching the surface as a “44-tonne battery electric truck requires five tonnes of batteries, cutting the payload by up to 20% and costing £40,000 ($50,014 / €46,633) per year in lost revenue.”
That’s the message from Viritech, Intelligent Energy, and Horiba Mira, who have come together for Project ICEBreaker. The partnership aims to create a new and commercially competitive 44-tonne proof of concept that runs on hydrogen.
That’s no small task, but the consortium says there are 500,000 Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) on UK roads and they create 19% of the country’s transport emissions. They went on to say that’s a “disproportionate” amount and the figure is expected to grow in the future as more HGVs come into service.
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The companies aim to have the truck ready for testing in late 2024 and a rendering released by the group suggests it will have an aerodynamic design thanks to a rounded cab and digital side mirrors. We can also see a sleek trailer and aerodynamic components above the headlights.
Little is known about the model at this point, but the companies said they’re aiming to “radically improve hydrogen powertrain efficiency to produce lighter, better zero-emissions 44-tonne HGV trucks.” They added Viritech will focus on software and energy management, while Intelligent Energy will handle the fuel cell. Horiba Mira will use their expertise to deal with engineering, systems integration, vehicle optimization, validation and certification.
The project will commence next month and it will receive funding from the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre.
