Periodic Reporting for period 3 - H2Haul (Hydrogen fuel cell trucks for heavy-duty, zero emission logistics)
Reporting period: 2021-02-01 to 2022-07-31
H2Haul brings together two major European truck OEMs (Iveco Group and VDL) and fuel cell suppliers (Plastic Omnium, Bosch and Powercell) to develop and demonstrate fleets of heavy duty (26–44t) trucks in day-to-day commercial operations at four sites across four countries. The consortium includes hydrogen infrastructure providers (Air Liquide, Colruyt Group and H2Energy) who will put in place refuelling facilities and reliable hydrogen supplies at each of the demonstration sites. The vehicles will be integrated into the fleets of several high profile retailers with a strong interest in and commitment to adopting fuel cell HGVs (Carrefour (South of France), Colruyt (Belgium), a large retailer (Switzerland)), and used in logistics operations (by DHL for BMW in Germany and by Air Liquide (France)). The Air Liquide truck will be used as part of the company’s existing hydrogen logistics operation and thus represents an important step forward for this sector: fuel for zero emission mobility being delivered by a zero tailpipe emission vehicle. The development and homologation of the truck variants provides an excellent foundation for wider roll-out beyond the project by maximising the potential customer base and achieving synergies in terms of component design, integration, and vehicle engineering.
The overall objective of H2Haul is to prove that hydrogen trucks can be a practical zero emission and zero carbon solution for much of Europe’s trucking needs and in so doing pave the way for commercialisation of fuel cell trucks in Europe. This overall objective leads to a series of sub-objectives:
• Develop long-haul heavy-duty (26 and 44t) fuel cell trucks that meet customers’ requirements in a range of operating environments
• Homologate three fuel cell truck types to certify that they are safe to use on Europe’s roads
• Install hydrogen refuelling infrastructure at each of the demonstration sites and put in place arrangements for high reliability hydrogen supplies that maximise environmental benefits
• Drive the fuel cell trucks for over one million kilometres during normal commercial operations, proving the viability of the technology
• Demonstrate high reliability of fuel cell heavy-duty trucks compatible with mainstream trucking operations under normal operating conditions
• Monitor the performance of the vehicles and infrastructure throughout the operational phase to provide definitive evidence, validated by third parties, on the availability, efficiency, and environmental benefits of fuel cell trucks
• Develop the business case for further roll-out of heavy-duty fuel cell trucks
• Prepare the European market for further roll-out of fuel cell trucks through (i) the development of innovative commercial models and (ii) disseminating information from the project to a wide audience of relevant stakeholders
The overall objective of H2Haul is to prove that hydrogen trucks can be a practical zero emission and zero carbon solution for much of Europe’s trucking needs and in so doing pave the way for commercialisation of fuel cell trucks in Europe. This overall objective leads to a series of sub-objectives:
• Develop long-haul heavy-duty (26 and 44t) fuel cell trucks that meet customers’ requirements in a range of operating environments
• Homologate three fuel cell truck types to certify that they are safe to use on Europe’s roads
• Install hydrogen refuelling infrastructure at each of the demonstration sites and put in place arrangements for high reliability hydrogen supplies that maximise environmental benefits
• Drive the fuel cell trucks for over one million kilometres during normal commercial operations, proving the viability of the technology
• Demonstrate high reliability of fuel cell heavy-duty trucks compatible with mainstream trucking operations under normal operating conditions
• Monitor the performance of the vehicles and infrastructure throughout the operational phase to provide definitive evidence, validated by third parties, on the availability, efficiency, and environmental benefits of fuel cell trucks
• Develop the business case for further roll-out of heavy-duty fuel cell trucks
• Prepare the European market for further roll-out of fuel cell trucks through (i) the development of innovative commercial models and (ii) disseminating information from the project to a wide audience of relevant stakeholders
Key progress during the third period of the project includes:
• Truck OEMs have completed the definition of the technical specifications of the trucks in cooperation with the fuel cell suppliers. Specifications and designs of the trucks are being developed as per the specific requirements and mission profiles at each site. D1.1 Fuel cell truck specifications was resubmitted following updates from the OEMs in January 2022. VDL and Iveco have conducted extensive testing of the truck prototypes, and VDL have made progress toward the construction and integration of the H2Haul trucks starting operation in 2022.
• The first H2Haul-funded HRS in Rothenburg, Switzerland, has been operated successfully for over 18 months. HRS operational data has been gathered and discussions between H2Energy and Sphera have been organised to develop the data collection process for the introduction of H2Haul trucks.
• The development of the other H2Haul-funded HRS has progressed well, with permitting, construction and installation activities taking place throughout the 3rd Reporting Period (RP3). Both the French HRS in Fos sur Mer and the Belgian HRS in Ollignies will be commissioned by the end of 2022.
• Communication and dissemination activities were maintained throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and have benefited from the re-introduction of in-person events. H2Haul was presented on several occasions including the Connecting Europe Days in Lyon, a conference organised by France Hydrogen and an IRU forum. The project’s second Observer Group meeting was held by videoconference in December 2021.
• The project’s Mid-Term Technical Review was conducted in April 2021, delivering insights into the progress made by the project and valuable recommendations from the reviewers for partners to implement.
• Truck OEMs have completed the definition of the technical specifications of the trucks in cooperation with the fuel cell suppliers. Specifications and designs of the trucks are being developed as per the specific requirements and mission profiles at each site. D1.1 Fuel cell truck specifications was resubmitted following updates from the OEMs in January 2022. VDL and Iveco have conducted extensive testing of the truck prototypes, and VDL have made progress toward the construction and integration of the H2Haul trucks starting operation in 2022.
• The first H2Haul-funded HRS in Rothenburg, Switzerland, has been operated successfully for over 18 months. HRS operational data has been gathered and discussions between H2Energy and Sphera have been organised to develop the data collection process for the introduction of H2Haul trucks.
• The development of the other H2Haul-funded HRS has progressed well, with permitting, construction and installation activities taking place throughout the 3rd Reporting Period (RP3). Both the French HRS in Fos sur Mer and the Belgian HRS in Ollignies will be commissioned by the end of 2022.
• Communication and dissemination activities were maintained throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and have benefited from the re-introduction of in-person events. H2Haul was presented on several occasions including the Connecting Europe Days in Lyon, a conference organised by France Hydrogen and an IRU forum. The project’s second Observer Group meeting was held by videoconference in December 2021.
• The project’s Mid-Term Technical Review was conducted in April 2021, delivering insights into the progress made by the project and valuable recommendations from the reviewers for partners to implement.
All targets are on track. See technical report Part B for further details.