Navistar and General Motors plan to develop hydrogen truck ecosystem
In collaboration with General Motors and OneH2, Navistar, Inc. is introducing a complete solution for customer implementation of a zero-emission long-haul system, which will be initially piloted by J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. “Hydrogen fuel cells offer great promise for heavy duty trucks in applications requiring a higher density of energy, fast refueling and additional range,” said Persio Lisboa, Navistar president and CEO.
“We are excited to provide customers with added flexibility through a new hydrogen truck ecosystem that combines our vehicles with the hydrogen fuel cell technology of General Motors and the modular, mobile and scalable hydrogen production and fueling capabilities of OneH2. And we are very pleased that our valued customer J.B. Hunt has committed to utilize the solution on dedicated routes and to share key learnings,” added Lisboa.
Navistar plans to make its first production model International® RH™ Series fuel cell vehicle commercially available in model year 2024. Test vehicles are expected to begin the pilot phase under the new, complete solution at the end of 2022. The integrated solution will be competitive with other powertrain offerings with a target range of 500+ miles and a hydrogen fueling time of less than 15 minutes.
The International® RHTM Series fuel cell vehicle will get its energy from two GM Hydrotec fuel cell power cubes. Each Hydrotec power cube contains 300-plus hydrogen fuel cells along with thermal and power management systems. They are compact and easy to package into many different applications. The combined propulsion system within the International® RHTM Series will feature better power density for short-range travel, better short-burst kW output and a per-mile cost expected to be comparable to diesel in certain market segments.
“GM’s vision of a world with zero emissions isn’t limited to passenger vehicles,” said Doug Parks, GM executive vice president of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. “We’re thrilled to work with like-minded companies like Navistar and OneH2 to offer a complete solution for progressive carriers that want to eliminate tailpipe emissions with a power solution that can compete with diesel.”
Under its partnership agreement with Navistar, OneH2 will supply its hydrogen fueling solution, which includes hydrogen production, storage, delivery and safety. In addition, Navistar is taking a minority stake in OneH2. Through its affiliates, OneH2 plans to kickstart substantial hydrogen heavy truck refueling infrastructure by incorporating more than 2,000 International® RH™ Series vehicles into existing truck fleets in the near term.
Paul Dawson, OneH2 president and CEO, commented: “We believe strongly that hydrogen fuel is the future of zero- emission renewable energy in the heavy truck market, and are pleased that this agreement will provide additional scope for its application. Under this agreement, we will be able to offer fleets a zero-emission truck with total cost of operation lower than diesel in key segments of the industry.”
