by Edie Staff Reporter at Edie.net
As a rule of thumb, the heavier a vehicle is, the more challenging it is to make a pure-electric version. Emerging technologies including hydrogen will, therefore, need to scale if the UK is to meet its ambition of ending new petrol and diesel HGV sales by 2040.
Automaker Tevva this week launched the first hydrogen fuel cell HGV to be designed and manufactured in the UK. The 7.5-tonne vehicle was unveiled at the Road Transport Expo in Warwickshire, with Tevva boasting a range of up to 301 miles and refueling times of just 10 minutes. Tevva believes the design can work for “the overwhelming majority of fleet operators across a range of industries and sectors”. It is hoping to sell the truck in the UK and export to other markets including the EU and North America.
Hydrogen produces no greenhouse gas emissions at the point of combustion, making it a potential solution to air pollution from transport and to reducing emissions across a vehicle’s life cycle. The level of lifecycle emissions reduction compared with fossil fuels will depend on how the hydrogen is produced; most global production is currently fossil-fuelled, but the UK is poised to launch a low-carbon standard for production as it targets 10GW of green and blue production capacity by 2030.
“We are excited to launch our hydrogen-electric HGV, creating a landmark moment for Tevva and UK manufacturing,” said the firm’s chief executive and co-founder Asher Benner. “We firmly believe that the post-fossil fuel future, which is quickly approaching, will see a new range of technologies and fuels take centre stage in the transport industry. By embracing hydrogen, we are futureproofing ourselves, our clients and the industries and communities they operate in.”
Earlier this year, Tevva opened a new R&D base and committed to delivering 3,000 hydrogen and electric vehicles annually from 2023.