From Tallbloke’s Talkshop

July 8, 2023 by oldbrew

Credit: Scottish Power

‘Could a truck that’s powered by hydrogen and only emits water help in the climate change fight?’ – asks Sky News. Two problems there – ‘only emits water’ doesn’t tell the whole story as unwelcome nitrogen oxide comes into play, and ‘climate change fight’ belongs to mythology. Another difficulty (quote): ‘hydrogen still has problems as a power source. Making it from green electricity is currently expensive and far less energy efficient than plugging a battery into a charging point.’ Also (quote): ‘a switch to hydrogen would need 35.6GW of electricity to make it’ – over three times more than needed for comparable battery charging, according to the report.
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Summary: The vehicle can be fuelled up with hydrogen in just 15 minutes and gives drivers 600 miles of range, the company behind it says, with the gas being stored in high pressure tanks designed to withstand impact.
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British trials have started of a heavyweight truck powered by a gas that’s lighter than air – and emits nothing but water.

Sky News was given exclusive access to the first British designed and built heavy goods vehicle (HGV) to be fuelled by hydrogen as it was driven around the Horiba Mira test track in Warwickshire.

The Scottish manufacturers, HVS, say the truck could help decarbonise the road freight industry, which produces more than 21 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year in the UK alone.

Jawad Khursheed, the dentist-turned-entrepreneur who started the company, said: “It has the exact same feel of a diesel.

“HGV drivers generally drive up to four hours and then take a break.

“In 15-20 minutes they can refuel with hydrogen, and it’s good to go for another 600km.”

The truck stores hydrogen under high pressure in tanks that are designed to withstand impact. The gas is converted by a fuel cell into electricity, which then drives the wheels.

A battery that delivers similar range would weigh several tonnes, reducing the amount of freight that can be carried. And it would currently take several hours to recharge, significant downtime for fleet operators.

Macky Arthur, the prototype’s test driver, told Sky News: “You don’t have the roar of a diesel vehicle, you don’t have the fumes of a diesel vehicle.

“It’s a nice place to live and work.”

But hydrogen still has problems as a power source. Making it from green electricity is currently expensive and far less energy efficient than plugging a battery into a charging point.

Continued here.

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Power Engineering says: ‘minimizing NOx emissions will remain a concern in the coming era of H2– and NH3-based combustion systems.’