Transition of heavy‐duty trucks from diesel to hydrogen fuel cells: Opportunities, challenges, and recommendations

Abstract

Summary Fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies have been investigated by academia, industry, and government to reduce air pollution and mitigate global warming. The transition of heavy‐duty trucks (HDTs) from diesel to hydrogen fuel cells (HFCs) could maintain the contribution of HDTs to freight transport at nearly zero carbon dioxide emission. This paper analyzes and discusses the opportunities and challenges of this transition and presents recommendations. The opportunities include the global need for HDTs with low emissions and a long driving range, the unique advantages of HFCs for future energy systems, the anticipated cost reduction of HFCs owing to economies of scale, and the excellent market potential of zero‐emission trucks. The challenges include the high total usage cost, research and development barriers, and market share competition from other alternatives. Some recommendations are proposed: synergistic utilization of a battery and HFCs in the HDTs power system, an incremental transition pathway, and the construction of a hydrogen highway based on renewable electricity. This study attempts to provide techno‐economic insights and direction for the transition of HDTs from diesel to HFCs.

Pt Nanoparticles on Atomic-Metal-Rich Carbon for Heavy-Duty Fuel Cell Catalysts: Durability Enhancement and Degradation Behavior in Membrane Electrode Assemblies

“…1−3 Recently, the focus of PEMFC has shifted from lightduty vehicle (LDV) to heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) applications, as the latter has a less demanding hydrogen refueling infrastructure and a more significant impact on mitigating CO 2 and other emissions. 4,5 Compared to battery-powered HDVs, the fuel cell stack or hydrogen tank can be increased with a much lower weight/volume penalty to meet the power and energy density targets. 6 The shift to HDVs requires a much longer operation lifetime than their passenger vehicle counterparts, with more than one million miles operating targets, or equivalent to 25,000 h operation.…”

“…Hydrogen proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), featured with high energy efficiency, zero-emission, and short fueling time, have been identified as an utmost solution to replace conventional internal combustion engines for vehicles. − Recently, the focus of PEMFC has shifted from light-duty vehicle (LDV) to heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) applications, as the latter has a less demanding hydrogen refueling infrastructure and a more significant impact on mitigating CO 2 and other emissions. , Compared to battery-powered HDVs, the fuel cell stack or hydrogen tank can be increased with a much lower weight/volume penalty to meet the power and energy density targets …”

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“…Hydrogen is a clean energy carrier that has good application prospects in clean combustion, fuel cells, and other aspects. [1][2][3] The wide application of hydrogen is expected to alleviate the greenhouse effect and meet future energy demands. [4][5][6] Nuclear energy enables large-scale hydrogen production with essentially zero carbon emissions; thus, nuclear hydrogen production is considered indispensable for sustainable hydrogen supplies.…”

“…Hydrogen is a clean energy carrier that has good application prospects in clean combustion, fuel cells, and other aspects 1‐3 . The wide application of hydrogen is expected to alleviate the greenhouse effect and meet future energy demands 4‐6 .…”