Tevva: Fuel-Cell Truck Achieves 560 Kilometers in Winter Without Stopping

According to their own information, the British manufacturer Tevva continues to focus on the construction and delivery of the battery-electric 7.5-ton truck. Simultaneously, however, the testing and development of the hydrogen-electric 7.5-ton truck are being continued. This dual-energy prototype vehicle was driven by four in-house engineers from the headquarters in London to the Anglo-Scottish border in Berwick-on-Tweed and back. In total, this range test covered more than 1,000 kilometers (approximately 620 miles). On the first leg, a stop was made for hydrogen refueling in the Midlands as well as at an Element 2 station in Teesside, northeast England. According to the company, its goal is to establish a network of hydrogen refueling stations in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

On the return trip, the truck covered almost 350 miles, or around 563 kilometers, according to company information, without needing to stop for recharging in between. This is made possible by the truck's hydrogen fuel cell, which recharges the lithium battery of the range-extended vehicle (Rex) as needed. According to the manufacturer, temperatures during the journey rarely rose above freezing and eventually dropped to minus ten degrees. According to lead engineer Charlie Cordell, the icy conditions posed a great challenge on one hand, but on the other hand, important data on vehicle performance could be collected in this way—allowing insights on where optimizations could be made here and there and where development needed to be adjusted.

According to engineer Ryan Clark, who joined Tevva two years ago, the achieved range was no big surprise; still, it was great to build the prototype and see live what mileage it could achieve. The futuristic-looking truck, however, caused many surprised looks and questions. People are not yet accustomed to the sight of hydrogen-electric trucks—but this will eventually change, the engineer is convinced.