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A year after the introduction of hydrogen trucks in Germany, Hylane GmbH paints a positive picture regarding their everyday usability and acceptance in heavy road freight transport. The company provides climate-friendly vehicles from various manufacturers in a usage-based rental model. The fleet of the DEVK subsidiary has expanded to 44 trucks since the handover of the first vehicle to a customer in Stuttgart, with another 78 vehicles on the way.
“A year ago, we brought the first hydrogen trucks to the road, driven by the conviction that the transport sector plays a key role in shaping a sustainable future. Over the course of this year, we have experienced with strong partners and users the impressive possibilities that hydrogen offers. Together, we faced new challenges daily. The new technology has proven to be consistently reliable. Our experiences show that it is now time to adjust regulatory and organizational frameworks. The power for this change lies in our hands as a society,” said Sara Schiffer, CEO of Hylane.
In 2023, a year that marks a peak in CO2 emissions worldwide, particularly in the transport sector, hydrogen trucks have proven to be an important alternative to conventional propulsion systems, according to Hylane. Against the backdrop of the “European Green Deal,” which envisions a 90 percent reduction in emissions from new trucks by 2040, these vehicles played a central role.
“In light of the current challenges posed by climate change and budget constraints, it is crucial that the economy acts boldly and decisively. Especially in this phase, the introduction of sustainable technologies plays a key role in maintaining the competitiveness and operational capability of Germany as an industrial location. As pioneers in the field of hydrogen trucks, we are not only focusing on innovation but also on making a clear contribution to solving global problems,” said Bernd Zens, member of the board of DEVK Versicherungen and managing director of Hylane.
According to Hylane, hydrogen trucks offer decisive advantages over pure electric vehicles. They can also be used in regions where the power grid reaches its limits and offer the full payload weight without the restrictions that high battery weights bring. In addition, they are better suited for the storage and use of electricity from renewable energy sources during peak performance times.
The practical experience shows that the hydrogen vehicles run stably and do not record any downtime due to the new drive technology. Companies like DB Schenker, REWE, Spedition Amm, and Sonepar have already gathered experience with the pay-per-use model from Cologne. The popularity of the vehicles is reflected in the positive feedback from the more than 60 drivers who have been trained so far.
"By using hydrogen trucks, we want to actively help shape the climate transition and offer our customers a fast and reliable service. Currently, we have four vehicles from Hylane in use, including in two-shift operation. We are very satisfied with the experiences of the past few months. The trucks run stably and are especially popular with the drivers. However, there is no question that the density of hydrogen filling stations in Germany must increase significantly for a market ramp-up," says Christian Orth, Head of Transport Logistics Sonepar.
Remarkable is the performance of the hydrogen trucks: according to Hylane, they covered over 60,000 kilometers in November alone, regularly exceeding the manufacturers' specified range of 450 kilometers. A full refueling was completed on average in under 15 minutes, and daily running distances of up to 800 kilometers were possible. By using these vehicles instead of diesel trucks, over 220 tons of CO2 were saved.
These positive experiences strengthened confidence in fuel cell technology and created the conditions for market ramp-up. Users, manufacturers, and infrastructure operators now have more security regarding the economic viability of the technology. This promotes investments in hydrogen technology to enable long-term economically sustainable scaling.
"Although we are still in the pioneer phase, we offer the "XCIENT Fuel Cell," a proven hydrogen truck. The experience we gained in Switzerland over more than three years and with more than 10 million kilometers, we took to the German and European markets a year ago—with success. Hylane confirms to us with the expansion of their fleet that they see the value and necessity of this technology for the decarbonization of heavy transport. However, the market and the customers are certainly decisive. The latter have recognized in this first year that the technology meets their needs, fulfilling the requirements for heavy transport with decisive efficiency, reliability, and operational safety. For us, partners like Hylane, who bring this technology to customers and thus also accelerate the scaling of hydrogen technology, are even more important," said Beat Hirschi, CEO of Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility.
According to Hylane, the continuous expansion of the fueling infrastructure and the service and workshop network is crucial to promoting the use of additional hydrogen vehicles. Moreover, the availability of H2 trucks, especially from German manufacturers, is a challenge.
"In the past year, the Hylane hydrogen trucks already in use have more than proven themselves in practical use. Next year, the "IVECO S-eWAY Fuel Cell" semi-trailer trucks will demonstrate that hydrogen is also a solution for long-distance transport. The first IVECO S-eWay Fuel Cell, which will come to market by the end of the second quarter of 2024, are part of the EU-funded H2Haul project, and right after that, competent partners like Hylane can look forward to Iveco vehicles from series production in Ulm," commented Christian Sulser, Board Member Sales and Marketing at Iveco Magirus regarding vehicle availability.
Andreas Haller, Chairman and Founder of Quantron added: "We are very pleased with the partnership. Hylane and Quantron share a commitment to innovative and sustainable transport solutions. With the deployment of the hydrogen-electric "QUANTRON QLI FCEV," we are pioneering in emission-free goods transport on the last mile. But the demand for emission-free solutions is also increasing in the area of heavy commercial vehicles. Hydrogen presents an attractive alternative due to its short refueling times and long ranges. Therefore, Hylane and Quantron are exploring further collaboration in the area of heavy trucks."
According to Hylane, it remains essential in the early phase of the propulsion transition to make alternative drives more attractive than fossil fuels through regulatory frameworks. With the CO2-based toll and impending driving bans, the first regulatory incentives have already been set.
In any case, Hylane intends to continue advocating for the ramp-up of hydrogen trucks in Germany. With the continuous expansion of the fleet and the addition of new vehicle categories and manufacturers, the first steps have been taken.
Translated automatically from German.
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