Now, in a bid to solve this issue in the most environmentally friendly method possible, Bennett is using a hydrogen fuel cell system – also a quicker way to refuel. This has the potential to be zero carbon, as long as the electricity used is from renewables.
Once the trucks’ batteries are depleted, having been charged up on electricity, the hydrogen system picks up the slack.
“It’s a very good backup fuel for the main fuel, which is still great electricity,” says Bennett, who previously founded San Francisco-based Evida Power in 2008 – a venture-backed provider of energy solutions for the electric vehicle market.
Tevva’s site in Tilbury, Essex is gearing up to make 3,000 trucks per year and will offer two models – its electric-only 7.5 tonne version will have a range of 160 miles, while the hydrogen booster will take that to 310 miles.
Prototypes of the truck with range extenders will be in the hands of customers in the second half of next year, he says. The 7.5 tonne battery model is expected to cost £139,000.
Not only are electric and hybrid vehicles expensive but distribution remains a huge challenge for hydrogen as an energy source. There are currently just a dozen such cars and buses in the whole of the UK.
Bennett concedes “there are still challenges” when it comes to making hydrogen widely available.
While electric cars have a ready-made network for charging – albeit one that will require considerable upgrades to cope with a fully-electric motor vehicle fleet – hydrogen has nothing of the sort. The gas is famously explosive and difficult to store as well as being costly.
The fuel suffers a “chicken and egg” challenge in that more hydrogen vehicles will be needed to encourage more hydrogen fuel stations, but takeup will be slow until more fuel is available.
But Bennett – ever committed to his vision – argues that vans and trucks have an advantage over cars in that their owners often own a lot of them, while they are operated from spacious depots.
“We’re future-proofed in that as batteries improve and charging infrastructure improves, we can not use the range extender solution anymore,” he enthuses.
“On the flip side, in some locations where it makes sense for more hydrogen, we throttle up the size of the hydrogen side of things and have a very small battery.”
Bennett, who is convinced the way to persuade his customers is through cost, insists the need to update Britain’s van and truck fleet is pressing.
He argues that to achieve this, it would be helpful for the Government to improve the availability of green hydrogen, made from renewable energy sources.
Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2021/12/12/tevva-essex-company-gearing-make-electric-trucks/
