J.B. Hunt will be piloting a new zero-emission long-haul system powered by hydrogen trucks.
This pilot program is the result of a multi-pronged collaboration between General Motors, Navistar, OneH2 and J.B. Hunt.
General Motors has partnered with Navistar, providing Hydrotec hydrogen fuel cell power cubes for Navistar to use in commercial trucks. Navistar is developing a line of hydrogen fuel cell electric truck, theInternational® RH™ Series, which is expected to be commercially available in 2024. The test vehicles are projected to begin piloting at the end of 2022.
Using two General Motors Hydrotec fuel cell power cubes, the trucks will have a target range of 500 miles and a fueling time of less than 15 minutes. Each power cube contains more than 300 hydrogen fuel cells with thermal and power management systems.
According to General Motors, the fuel cell power cubes serve as a zero-emissions alternative to diesel engines, with cubes providing 80 kilowatts of net power with proprietary controls that can increase fuel cell and battery life, as well as cold start performance. Two to three units can be arrayed per vehicle to provide optimal performance, according to the company.
“Hydrogen fuel cells offer great promise for heavy duty trucks in applications requiring a higher density of energy, fast refueling and additional range,” Navistar president and CEO Persio Lisboa said in a statement. “We are excited to provide customers with added flexibility through a new hydrogen truck ecosystem that combines our vehicles with the hydrogen fuel cell technology of General Motors and the modular, mobile and scalable hydrogen production and fueling capabilities of OneH2. And we are very pleased that our valued customer J.B. Hunt has committed to utilize the solution on dedicated routes and to share key learnings.”
North Carolina-based hydrogen fuel company OneH2 will provide the hydrogen fueling solution for Navistar under a partnership agreement, in which Navistar will acquire a minority stake in the company. OneH2 will oversee hydrogen production, delivery, storage and safety for the project.
J.B. Hunt will run the hydrogen fuel electric truck pilot program on dedicated routes. These routes reportedly have yet to be determined.
J.B. Hunt president and CEO John Roberts said that the pilot program represents an opportunity to reduce emissions, energy consumption and improve sustainability.
“J.B. Hunt is committed to delivering more while using less, and this new fully-integrated solution offers a prime opportunity to do that,” he said.. “As we serve our customers and communities, the combination of hydrogen fuel cell technology and refueling capability will enable us to reduce emissions along with energy consumption, fulfilling our environmental sustainability commitment to our customers and the communities we serve. We are excited for the potential of this innovative business model and look forward to sharing our learnings from this pilot program with Navistar and its involved technical and infrastructure partners.”
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