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IVOTY driving report Stellantis Hydrogen: Fuel Cell drive also for large vans

After the midsize van with a fuel cell, an FCEV variant is coming for the larger models. The drive is seen as a complement to the BEV. However, the latter has now achieved a range of up to 400 kilometers. The H2 with 500 kilometers offers hardly more. It aims to score with short refueling time and winter suitability. First impressions at the "Van of the Year".

Fit for the distance: Stellantis promotes the hydrogen fuel cell drive, which is said to be speed and temperature resistant. However, the 4.2-ton vehicle is limited to 90 km/h. | Photo: Stellantis
Fit for the distance: Stellantis promotes the hydrogen fuel cell drive, which is said to be speed and temperature resistant. However, the 4.2-ton vehicle is limited to 90 km/h. | Photo: Stellantis
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von Johannes Reichel

The transporter division within the Stellantis Group not only has a new and independent name, but also a new drive: The "Pro-One" department is focusing on the improved diesel (10 percent less consumption, eight-speed automatic) as well as the significantly improved BEV (110 kWh battery, 420 km range) and now, in the large segment, also on fuel cell technology (FCEV). A different system is used here than in the midsize FCEV van launched two years ago, which is being used in initial pilot projects like at Miele but is otherwise quite a rarity on the roads.

It is officially available for purchase, as the officials emphasize. However, the elaborate drive is expected to really take off in the large van: After all, large transporters are more often used on long-distance routes. The concept is expected to shine with greater range, speed, temperature resistance, and short refueling times. Provided, of course, that one can find an H2 filling station – and first ignore the high H2 prices. We recently had to shell out between 12 and 16 euros per kilogram during a practical test with a BMW X5 Hydrogen, an incredibly expensive H2 tour through the country, which also required several detours, significantly extending the travel time.

Green hydrogen? Everything is solvable, says the specialist

Moreover, this was by no means the "green hydrogen" required for a climate protection effect, but grey hydrogen. This is produced from natural gas or even coal through so-called steam reforming at up to 1,000 degrees, in a complicated and energy-intensive process. For example, producing one ton of hydrogen results in 10 tons of CO2, which currently escapes unused into the atmosphere. Even the potential storage and capture (blue hydrogen) still carry a big question mark.

Green hydrogen through the electrolysis of water with renewable electricity is still a rarity – and also very energy-intensive to produce. This is expected to be solved in the medium term through energy partnerships with non-European countries, allowing the ideally green produced hydrogen to be transported to the EU. The H2 topic goes far beyond mobility, believes Stellantis' "hydrogen pope" Lars Peter Thiesen, who has been following the project since GM times. It is important to start now and today, emphasizes the H2 specialist. Because eventually H2 is also expected to help finally replace diesel.
 

Above all, the French are pushing hydrogen

Nevertheless, there is a quiet skepticism whether the FCEV as a concept will really take off, particularly in automotive applications. The sales figures for the currently available FCEV models from pioneer Toyota or follower Hyundai are extremely modest. At Stellantis, as well as with their French compatriots at Renault, they are firmly convinced that the hydrogen fuel cell has its complementary justification. They are relying on government support, which is particularly pronounced in France. But also "transeuropean refueling networks" (Ten-T Corridors every 200 km) for the volatile energy carrier are supposed to help the technology achieve a breakthrough.

Formally, the FCEV van is supposed to offer a range of up to 500 kilometers, not much more than the BEV. At least: In terms of refueling time, the FCEV is clearly ahead at five minutes at 700 bar compared to the DC charging time of 55 minutes from 15 to 80 percent for the BEV. Additionally, they promise no loss in payload compared to the BEV, which with its 110 kW storage proved not only to be energy-hungry but also weak in payload during the test: configured as a 3.5-tonner, less than 700 kilos remain in the voluminous cargo area. There is also a respectable towing capacity of 2.2 tons, up to a total train weight of 6.5 tons.

Advantage of hydrogen when everyone is refueling simultaneously: Quick refueling time

Speaking of refueling: Another essential argument for the FCEV is its independence from the power grid. However, this is currently replaced by dependence on the very patchy H2 refueling network... Officially, there are supposed to be 150 stations in the EU, mainly in Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. By 2030, the number is supposed to rise to 500 stations, here they rely on the commitment of EU policy. Stellantis officials emphasize that it will not be possible in the future to charge hundreds and thousands of e-vans simultaneously. Therefore, a "complementary" technology like the FCEV is needed, especially for "intensive application scenarios" such as taxi services, where a short refueling time is crucial, argues Fuel-Cell-man Thiesen. "Intensive" also includes use in winter or cold regions, where the FCEV indeed plays out the advantage of temperature resistance.

Production in Two Plants

Whatever the case may be: Both medium and large fuel-cell vans will roll off the assembly lines at the plants in Hordain (France) and Gliwice (Poland). Up to 5,000 units are planned in the two series, on the same line as the combustion engines and BEVs. Additionally, a RAM pick-up with fuel cell drive is planned for introduction in the USA. The goal is to halve costs through scaling and reach cost parity with BEVs by 2030, with an anticipated 100,000 FCEV vans from the brands Peugeot, Citroen, Opel, Fiat, and RAM. Further versions, such as a mini-bus variant, which will soon complement the portfolio, are also expected to contribute.

Drives Like a BEV - and Worlds Better Than Diesel

This is technically feasible, as initial impressions with the FCEV vans on the Opel test track in Dudenhofen have shown. In this case, a “midsize” concept was chosen, consisting of a 45 kW fuel cell as a range extender, combined with an 11 kWh battery and a 7-kilogram H2 tank with four bottles (provided by partner Plastic Omnium), which is installed under the floor. This mainly has the advantage of fully preserving the cargo space. The PEM fuel cell from partner Symbio is located under the seats, and in front of it in the engine compartment is the electric motor with 110 kW power (410 Nm). The small battery can also be charged via plug-in, in 90 minutes at an 11 kW wallbox. Apart from the starting noise, reminiscent of an electric Märklin train, the FCEV essentially drives like a BEV.

Complex Interaction of Drives

After all, it is an electric vehicle with different, more sophisticated means: the electric motor and fuel cell work “hand in hand,” with the fuel cell continuously delivering its power – and the battery providing instant power for acceleration or during cold starts, which the stacks don't particularly like. In direct comparison to the diesel, which has been thoroughly revised and made more efficient, with the addition of a very smooth-operating eight-speed automatic transmission, driving feels like it's from another world: quiet, smooth, fast, and almost “one-pedal” with the three-stage recuperation. Only to come to a full stop does one need to put the foot on the brake in time. A nice graphic in the infotainment system illustrates the complex interaction under the hood.

Bitter pill: The 4.2-ton truck is limited to 90 km/h

Two versions of the van are available: L2H2 and L3H3, with 13 and 17 cubic meters of volume. The payload of the 4.25-ton truck is said to be 1,370 kilos. However, according to N2 homologation (so far), the top speed is also limited to 90 km/h, which significantly reduces the long-distance suitability. With this setup, they see themselves at an advantage compared to the French competitor, who relies on a “Range Extender” concept with a 30-kW fuel cell and the old E-package of the Master Z.E., featuring a relatively underpowered 57-kW synchronous motor (225 Nm) and a 33 kWh battery, which is said to provide a range of 320 kilometers with the four kilos of hydrogen in the tanks, also limited to 90 km/h. The payload here is between 990 and 1,390 kilograms, and the volume between 10.4 and 14.4 cubic meters.

Tavares must have had something in mind: Reduce system costs

Above all, cost-wise, they want to make an offer here in line with the top maxim of company boss Carlos Tavares. A FCEV retrofit kit is also being considered, with which diesel could be “neutralized”. From 2022 to 2024, the costs of FCEV technology in the midsize van dropped by 40 percent. At 75,000 euros, it is still incredibly expensive compared to the BEV van, which became significantly cheaper and more range-strong after the facelift, costing 39,500 or 44,500 (75 kWh) euros net. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be the end of the line.

Translated automatically from German.
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