This is the third part in a multi-part series exploring the costs and viability of fuel cell technology as an alternative to diesel-powered Class 8 trucks. See the rest of series at this link.
Hydrogen is an invisible, odorless gas that ranks as the lightest and most prolific element in the universe. It’s also highly flammable. But then again so are other transportation fuels with the exception of diesel, which has the highest flashpoint among conventional fuels.
Proponents of using hydrogen as a fuel to power Class 8 trucks say it’s a silver bullet in finding tech to meet ever-tightening emissions standards, since it’s clean, abundant, can mirror the fueling infrastructure of diesel and meet the tough demands of long-haul trucking with much less weight and fewer fueling stops than all-electric. Its detractors, however, say it’s inefficient when compared to battery-electric power and presents significant safety risks.
So far in the U.S., fuel cell transportation has largely been relegated to California, where nearly all of the nation’s hydrogen stations are located. From cars to trucks, the safety record is sound, said California Fuel Cell Partnership Technical Program Manager Nico Bouwkamp.
“It’s been good so far with regards to the integration and the safety record. And that’s also because hydrogen systems in the way they’re designed, they’re significantly over-designed for safety so the systems are a lot stronger than compared to a diesel truck,” he said.
In June following Nikola’s IPO, Musk called fuel cells “staggeringly dumb” in a Tweet that made plenty of news. His views haven’t changed through the years. In 2015, during an Automotive News press conference he summarized his disdain for the technology saying that hydrogen was a “pernicious molecule” that was “extremely flammable” and caused “metal embrittlement.” His chief complaint then still remains centered today on the inefficiency of the fuel cell industry when compared to battery-electric.
In its 2019 Advanced Truck Technologies report, the U.S. Department of Energy lists electric at a 95% drive efficiency compared to fuel cell at 59% and diesel at 46%. However, fuel cell proponents point out that freight-ton efficiency—the ability of a truck to haul as much freight as possible for as long as possible without refueling—is where electric currently falls flat in long-haul.
