- Hydrogen fuel cell-powered Class 6 electric trucks manufactured to service the logistics industry
LATHAM, N.Y. –– Plug Power Inc. (NASDAQ: PLUG), a leading provider of hydrogen engines and fueling solutions enabling e-mobility, today announced their partnership with Colorado-based Lightning Systems, a global developer of zero-emission drivetrains.
This collaboration enables both companies to offer the world’s first electric, fuel cell-powered Class 6 trucks (up to 12.5 tons) capable of supporting middle-mile delivery logistics between warehouses and distribution centers.
The zero-emission commercial trucks produced by the partnership will be powered by an integrated hybrid-electric drivetrain consisting of Plug Power’s ProGen fuel cell engines coupled with Lightning Systems’ electric vehicle drivetrain and batteries. As part of the company’s long-standing commitment to reliability, efficiency, and cost-saving solutions, Lightning Systems also will offer customers advanced diagnostics and analytics powered by its artificial neural network technology. This technology enables customers to easily track vehicle and fuel cell system data for analysis, driver training, and route optimization. Plug Power provides the world’s largest service and supports a network of certified fuel cell service technicians deployed throughout North America. Final production and testing of the new vehicles will be completed at Plug Power’s headquarters in Latham, New York before they are made commercially available to the public in the third quarter of 2020.
Plug Power and Lightning Systems will deliver both standard and long-range Class 6 trucks through their partnership, taking full advantage of the value that fuel cells offer in commercial fleets where high utilization, long-range, fast fueling, and maximization of cargo volume and payload are important. Plug Power’s ProGen engines provide 90 kW of fuel cell power and utilize the latest generation of the company’s proprietary MEA and metal plate stack technology, which delivers industry-leading power density. The standard vehicle offering includes an impressive 20kg of on-board hydrogen storage, delivering average range (for typical route profiles) in excess of 200 miles. An extended range option is also available, effectively doubling the standard average range to 400 miles.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Lightning Systems to expand our ProGen offerings with a new Class 6 trucking solution,” says Plug Power CEO Andy Marsh. “This partnership allows us to meet our customers’ needs at every stage of their journey from fuel cell-powered forklifts on the warehouse floor to last-mile delivery and now middle-mile delivery between distribution centers as well. We’re proud to say that we now offer sustainable solutions for every link in the global supply chain.”
“Lightning’s modular powertrains were designed to support both battery-electric and fuel cell-electric vehicle configurations, so this is a natural next product for us,” said Tim Reeser, CEO for Lightning Systems. “Plug Power’s hydrogen fuel cell system dovetails elegantly with our existing technology.”
Plug Power and Lightning Systems bring a wealth of experience in the material handling, logistics and trucking industries. The companies have spent a combined three decades servicing leading companies around the globe.
About Plug Power Inc.
The architect of modern hydrogen and fuel cell technology, Plug Power is the innovator that has taken hydrogen and fuel cell technology from concept to commercialization. Plug Power has revolutionized the material handling industry with its full-service GenKey solution, which is designed to increase productivity, lower operating costs and reduce carbon footprints in a reliable, cost-effective way. The Company’s GenKey solution couples together all the necessary elements to power, fuel and serve a customer. With proven hydrogen and fuel cell products, Plug Power replaces lead acid batteries to power electric industrial vehicles, such as the lift trucks customers use in their distribution centers.
Extending its reach into the on-road electric vehicle market, Plug Power’s ProGen platform of modular fuel cell engines empowers OEMs and system integrators to rapidly adopt hydrogen fuel cell technology. ProGen engines are proven today, with thousands in service, supporting some of the most rugged operations in the world. Plug Power is the partner that customers trust to take their businesses into the future. Learn more at www.plugpower.com.
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