First large Swiss hydrogen truck – look
“It’s the first time this technology has been used on a 40-ton machine,” said Jean-Luc Favre, President of the Nomads Foundation, at the presentation of the truck. The truck was presented at the 23rd European Energy Transition Conference in Geneva, which runs until Thursday.
The project GoH! (Generation of Hydrogen) is the result of a collaboration between the Nomads Foundation and four companies: Migros, which aims to reduce its carbon footprint, the developer of electro-hydrogen propulsion systems GreenGT, the Geneva Industrial Services (SIG) and the truck specialist company LARAG.
The camion is operated with an electric hydrogen drive train. With an output of 500 hp, it has a range of 600 kilometers, as Jean-François Weber, Managing Director of GreenGT, said. The vehicle emits less than a liter of water per kilometer in the form of steam at a temperature of 80 degrees. That is well below the 150 degree hot emissions of a car.
The energy used to power the truck SHOULD be produced locally and sustainably. “Industrial Services Geneva will invest 20 to 30 million francs to produce hydrogen by electrolysis from waste incineration by 2024-2025,” said SIG director Christian Brunier. “Hydrogen is not the answer to all problems, but it is the alternative for trucks.”
The prototype of the truck cost more than one million Swiss francs. “Its selling price will be two to three times that of a diesel truck. But these additional costs are reduced by the price of hydrogen, which is known and stable,” Weber explained.
Antonio Hodgers, Geneva State Councilor (Greens) pointed to the role of the private sector in climate change innovation. “The state cannot do everything, but it can set the framework. The companies that will be successful tomorrow will be more obvious that have reduced their carbon footprint,” Hodgers said.
(SDA)