The heavy transport sector continues to swing in behind hydrogen fuel usage.
Artist impression of a Hyundai hydrogen refuelling station in the US.
Taking advantage of hydrogen’s zero carbon status, Toyota plans to deploy hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks to serve in its West Coast US logistics fleet, while Hyundai is to open the first dual hydrogen/electric refuelling station in Georgia.
The Toyota move is part of plans to reduce its use of diesel-powered trucks.
Hydrogen fuel cell Kenworth T680 trucks will be used on the routes. Toyota will build an Iwatani liquid hydrogen refuelling station as part of the plan.
Full story here.
For Hyundai, HTWO Energy Savannah will open the first hydrogen/electric fuel station to support heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles in the Savannah region.
The station will serve the new Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America and be located close to the Port of Savannah, Georgia, within one of the nation’s busiest freight hubs.
“HTWO Energy Savannah is a breakthrough hydrogen production and refuelling station for the heavy-duty trucking industry, allowing zero-emissions trucks to quickly and easily refuel at a single convenient location in the Savannah region,” said Hyundai spokesman Jim Park.
The site will initially be able to generate1200 kilograms of hydrogen per day, with capacity able to be scaled up to 4200kg in future.
Full story here.
Meanwhile, in the UK, Exeter Airport has hosted the country’s first hydrogen-powered aircraft turnaround.
A TUI Boeing 737 passenger aircraft was prepared for its next flight using ground equipment powered by hydrogen instead of diesel. A hydrogen-powered baggage tug, pushback tug and ground power unit (GPU) were used in the demonstration.
Learnings are expected to “help shape the future safety and regulatory framework for the airside handling of hydrogen, paving the way for hydrogen-fuelled aircraft in the years to come”, organisers said.
The project partners noted that diesel-powered equipment alone at Exeter Airport produced nearly 200 tonnes of CO2 a year.
Full article here.