U.Okay.-based startup Tevva on Thursday launched a hydrogen-electric heavy items automobile, changing into the newest firm to make a play in a sector attracting curiosity from multinationals like Daimler Truck and Volvo.
In accordance with Tevva, which says it has raised $140 million in funding, its automobile could have a variety of as a lot as 310 miles, or just below 500 kilometers.
Refilling the hydrogen tanks will take 10 minutes whereas charging the battery “from absolutely depleted to 100%” will take 5 to 6 hours.
The corporate’s first hydrogen-electric truck will weigh 7.5 metric tons, with later variations deliberate to weigh 12 and 19 metric tons.
In an announcement, Tevva sought to elucidate the rationale behind combining a gasoline cell and battery. “The gasoline cell system tops up the battery, extending the automobile’s vary and permitting the truck to hold heavier hundreds over longer distances.”
Alongside its hydrogen-electric truck, the enterprise has additionally developed an electrical truck that it says has a variety of as much as 160 miles. Particulars of each the electrical and hydrogen-electric vehicles had been beforehand introduced by Tevva.
In an interview with CNBC’s “Avenue Indicators Europe” on Thursday, Tevva CEO Asher Bennett was requested whether or not his firm was trying to diversify into smaller autos.
“We’re not fascinated about creating the smaller vans or the pickup vehicles,” Bennett stated. “These are, in lots of situations, very related expertise to the bigger EV sedans, which work very properly,” he added.
“We’re very centered on the heavy items vehicles and we’re slowly going heavier and heavier as a result of these are the segments which might be a lot tougher to impress.”
With governments around the globe trying to cut back the environmental footprint of transportation, a variety of corporations within the trucking sector are exploring methods to develop low and zero-emission autos, together with ones that use hydrogen.
Final month, Volvo Vans stated it began to test vehicles that use “fuel cells powered by hydrogen,” with the Swedish agency claiming their vary may prolong to as a lot as 1,000 kilometers, or a little bit over 621 miles.
Gothenburg-headquartered Volvo Vans stated refueling of the autos would take underneath quarter-hour. Buyer pilots are set to start within the subsequent few years, with commercialization “deliberate for the latter a part of this decade.”
Alongside hydrogen gasoline cell autos, Volvo Vans — which is a part of the Volvo Group — has additionally developed battery-electric vehicles.
Like Volvo Vans and Tevva, Daimler Truck is specializing in each battery-electric autos and ones that use hydrogen.
In an interview with CNBC final yr, Martin Daum, chairman of the board of administration at Daimler Truck, was asked about the debate between battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cells.
“We go for each as a result of each … make sense,” he replied, earlier than explaining how totally different applied sciences could be applicable in several situations.
Whereas there may be pleasure in some quarters concerning the potential of hydrogen-powered autos, there are hurdles in terms of increasing the sector, not least in terms of the event of satisfactory refueling infrastructure. The best way hydrogen is produced can also be a problem.
Each of those factors had been acknowledged by Volvo Vans in June when it pointed to challenges together with the “large-scale provide of inexperienced hydrogen” in addition to “the truth that refueling infrastructure for heavy autos is but to be developed.”
Hydrogen might be produced in a variety of methods. One technique consists of utilizing electrolysis, with an electrical present splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen.
If the electrical energy used on this course of comes from a renewable supply comparable to wind or photo voltaic then some name it “inexperienced” or “renewable” hydrogen. Right now, the overwhelming majority of hydrogen technology relies on fossil fuels.
For its half, Tevva stated it could assist its prospects “entry sustainable and inexpensive hydrogen provides safely and conveniently, alongside their buy or lease of Tevva Hydrogen Vans.”
