The Battle for Clean Trucks: Batteries vs Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Key Ideas
  • Truck manufacturers are facing pressure to cut emissions, with a focus on zero-emission vehicles using electric motors powered by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells.
  • Advancements in lithium-ion batteries have made battery-powered trucks more feasible by reducing costs, improving energy density, and shortening charging times.
  • Hydrogen fuel cell trucks offer advantages in carrying heavy loads and quicker refueling, but currently lag behind battery-powered trucks in emission reduction and cost efficiency.
  • While batteries are currently favored due to cost competitiveness and efficiency, some manufacturers are hedging bets by also developing hydrogen trucks for specific use cases.
Truck manufacturers are under pressure to reduce emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, which account for a significant portion of transport emissions in Europe. The options for zero-emission vehicles are electric motors powered by either batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. While batteries have been more widely adopted for passenger vehicles due to lower costs, the challenges for trucks, such as range and load capacity, have led manufacturers to consider hydrogen fuel cells. Advancements in battery technology, including cost reduction, increased energy density, and faster charging times, have made battery-powered trucks more feasible. On the other hand, hydrogen fuel cell trucks offer advantages in carrying heavy loads and quick refueling but currently emit more and are less cost-efficient than battery-powered trucks. Despite the advantages of batteries, some manufacturers like Daimler and Volvo are also investing in hydrogen trucks for specific applications. The future of clean truck technologies is projected to be dominated by battery-powered trucks, with fuel cell trucks expected to have a limited market share by 2050.
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