Ford Trucks builds first fuel cell lorry for EU project Ford Trucks’ fuel cell-powered lorry is a key step on the path to EU-backed ZEFES project’s goal to help decarbonise Europe’s long-haul goods transport. Climate Change and Environment Industrial Technologies Energy © Marc Elias/stock.adobe.com Zero-emission long-haul freight transport in Europe has reached a major new milestone. As part of the EU-funded ZEFES project, Ford Trucks, the global brand of ZEFES Turkish partner Ford Otomotiv Sanayi, is building its first fuel cell-powered lorry. The fuel cell electric heavy-duty prototype F-MAX lorry will operate as part of a zero-emission larger fleet that collects data from real-world operations. For delivery of the hydrogen fuel storage system needed to develop the F-MAX fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), Ford Trucks has turned to zero-emission infrastructure and mobility solutions supplier Hexagon Purus, Norway. Delivery of the complete hydrogen storage system is scheduled for the first quarter of 2024. The F-MAX FCEV will be manufactured in Turkey and is expected to begin European Ten-T corridor demonstrations in 2025 as part of the ZEFES project goals. Leading long-haul transport decarbonisation “We focus our investment, R&D and innovation efforts in line with our global electrification strategy to be a leading player in the decarbonisation transformation happening in the automotive industry,” states Ford Trucks Vice President Emrah Duman in a news item posted on ‘Motor Transport’. “We are very happy to have the support from Hexagon Purus as an experienced partner in our development plan of a fuel-cell electric heavy-duty truck as part of project ZEFES.” The project intends to deploy a total of nine different long-haul truck configurations – six battery electric vehicles, or BEVs, and three FCEVs. Starting in 2025, the nine lorries will run for 15 months and collect driving data from real-world operations. Up to 1 million km of data will be collected across EU corridors in real daily operations. The real-time data will be integrated into a digital platform to be developed within the ZEFES project. The transport sector is responsible for about 20 % of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions. In the efforts to decarbonise it, clean hydrogen plays an important role, especially in sectors such as long-haul transport, where it has proven more difficult to reduce emissions. ZEFES is tackling the decarbonisation of long-haul goods transport through the development of zero-emission vehicles. To achieve their goal, ZEFES partners are focusing on mass production capabilities, improving efficiency and demonstrating the use of the technology in daily operations. Through these efforts, ZEFES (Zero Emission flexible vehicle platforms with modular powertrains serving the long-haul Freight Eco System) is helping to bring Europe’s transport sector one step closer to the European Green Deal and 2ZERO emission targets. For more information, please see: ZEFES project website Keywords ZEFES, emissions, long-haul transport, long-haul goods transport, fuel cell, lorry, truck, fuel cell electric vehicle, FCEV, battery electric vehicle, zero-emission, transport
