Netherlands: first 55-ton hydrogen-fueled milk truck enters service
Hyzon Motors Inc., global supplier of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles, has delivered its first 55-ton milk truck to Transport Groep Noord, a carrier providing transport for multinational dairy company Royal FrieslandCampina N.V. The vehicle is a HyMax 450 Puller built on a Class-8 DAF truck chassis, and is expected to have up to 520 kilometer range with motor power up to 550 kilowatt capacity. Transport Groep Noord plans is operating the truck on specific routes in the North of the Netherlands.
Transport Groep Noord operates 25 trucks for FrieslandCampina, leading decarbonization in its industry. This order lays the foundation for FrieslandCampina in the transition of its entire fleet to zero-emissions vehicles. The company is one of the largest dairy cooperatives in the world, and in its sustainability program ‘Nourishing a better planet’, it sets itself a few ambitious goals, including CO₂-neutral production in the year 2050.
“Over five years ago, FrieslandCampina started using liquid natural gas as a cleaner fuel and we successfully stimulated filling stations all over the Netherlands to supply this type of fuel,” said Hans Wieleman, FrieslandCampina’s Milk Logistics Manager. “Now we try to do the same with hydrogen, in close cooperation with Hyzon and Transport Groep Noord. Transport is and will remain important to further increasing sustainability at FrieslandCampina.”
For applications in which payload is critical, such as milk, beverage, and water transport, hydrogen-powered vehicles provide a compelling solution for zero-emissions transport. Hydrogen-powered trucks can carry 2-5 tons more than battery electric trucks due to lower weight of hydrogen fuel systems. Additionally, Hyzon leads the industry in fuel cell power density, leading to significant advantages over both fuel cell and battery electric competitors.
“FrieslandCampina’s commitment to decarbonizing their operations can serve as a model for transitioning commercial transport to hydrogen-powered vehicles,” said Hyzon CEO Craig Knight. “Its existing successes demonstrate that reducing emissions is possible in the short-term. Deploying Hyzon’s hydrogen fuel cell-powered trucks to a global company like FrieslandCampina provides another tangible example that companies can make a real impact in reducing fleet emissions right now.”
