Study on fuel cells in lorries: "Feasible in principle"

At present, heavy goods traffic on the roads is mainly carried by diesel engines. This is cheap and has therefore been used for decades; after all, this industry calculates in cents per kilometre. However, a change in driving energy is also essential in freight transport if the transport sector is to play its part in meeting climate targets. The Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) at RWTH Aachen University has carried out a study into whether hydrogen-powered fuel cells could be an alternative to diesel and battery-electric drive systems.

Advantages that are of no use

Neither fuel cell nor battery-electric trucks are a universal solution, says PEM head Professor Achim Kampker. "The respective cost-effectiveness is heavily dependent on the application profile, the existing infrastructure and the level of technological maturity." Although fuel cell trucks have a long range, they are unfortunately unable to exploit this advantage due to the considerable price of hydrogen and the sparse infrastructure, adds study author Maximilian Bayerlein. The refuelling time is shorter than the charging time of an electric truck, which is an advantage for high daily mileage.

The biggest obstacle is still the economic disadvantage due to the high price of hydrogen. An H2 truck simply costs more per kilometre than an electric truck. Kampker: "However, if hydrogen prices fall, fuel cell trucks could become economically competitive." In principle, the authors of the study argue, H2 trucks are feasible. A new generation with a longer range and improved efficiency is about to be launched on the market. For their study, the authors compared all H2 trucks available and announced at the beginning of 2024 – both with each other and with selected electric trucks. Different deployment scenarios were simulated. Energy costs, vehicle use and infrastructure availability were included in the calculations.

High infrastructure costs

For H2 trucks to become established on the market, there is currently not only a lack of a broad range of products from manufacturers. Hydrogen filling stations are rare in Europe and expensive – both to build and to maintain. Hydrogen is currently mainly produced using fossil fuels, with only a fraction being produced from renewable sources. There are numerous interested parties for this so-called green hydrogen, who have little chance of decarbonizing processes by other means. It is likely to be many years before there is a relevant quantity of regeneratively produced hydrogen for freight transport. At the moment, prices for the energy content of traction batteries are falling and a megawatt charging network is on the horizon.

(mfz)