Navistar, GM and OneH2 Collaborate on Long-Haul Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Trucks
Truck and bus manufacturer Navistar announced a collaboration with automotive company General Motors and hydrogen fuel company OneH2 on the development of a hydrogen-powered zero-emission long-haul truck ecosystem.
Navistar stated that it plans to make its first production model International RH Series fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) commercially available in model year 2024, with vehicles expected to begin the pilot phase at the end of 2022 . The new system will be initially piloted by J.B. Hunt Transport.
According to Navistar, the vehicles will be competitive with other powertrain offerings with a target range of 500+ miles and a hydrogen fueling time of less than 15 minutes.
Persio Lisboa, Navistar President and CEO, said:
“Hydrogen fuel cells offer great promise for heavy duty trucks in applications requiring a higher density of energy, fast refueling and additional range. We are excited to provide customers with added flexibility through a new hydrogen truck ecosystem that combines our vehicles with the hydrogen fuel cell technology of General Motors and the modular, mobile and scalable hydrogen production and fueling capabilities of OneH2. And we are very pleased that our valued customer J.B. Hunt has committed to utilize the solution on dedicated routes and to share key learnings.”
GM stated that it will supply its Hydrotec fuel cell power cubes for the new system. Navistar’s FCEV will get energy from two of the fuel cell power cubes, each containing 300-plus hydrogen fuel cells along with thermal and power management systems.
Doug Parks, GM Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain, said:
“GM’s vision of a world with zero emissions isn’t limited to passenger vehicles. We believe in EVs for everyone. We’re thrilled to work with like-minded companies like Navistar and OneH2 to offer a complete solution for progressive carriers that want to eliminate tailpipe emissions with a power solution that can compete with diesel.”
OneH2 will supply its hydrogen fueling solution, which includes hydrogen production, storage, delivery and safety. Navistar also announced that it will a take minority stake in OneH2.
Paul Dawson, OneH2 President and CEO, said:
“We’re excited about the opportunity to partner with Navistar. We believe strongly that hydrogen fuel is the future of zero- emission renewable energy in the heavy truck market, and are pleased that this agreement will provide additional scope for its application. Under this agreement, we will be able to offer fleets a zero-emission truck with total cost of operation lower than diesel in key segments of the industry.”
John Roberts, J.B. Hunt President and CEO, said:
“J.B. Hunt is committed to delivering more while using less, and this new fully-integrated solution offers a prime opportunity to do that. As we serve our customers and communities, the combination of hydrogen fuel cell technology and refueling capability will enable us to reduce emissions along with energy consumption, fulfilling our environmental sustainability commitment to our customers and the communities we serve. We are excited for the potential of this innovative business model and look forward to sharing our learnings from this pilot program with Navistar and its involved technical and infrastructure partners.”