It is completely silent, and it only releases water! Now the first hydrogen-powered garbage truck is driving on the streets of Gothenburg. Both propulsion, loading and compaction of the waste take place with electricity produced in fuel cells. The heat generated is used to heat the cab.
The car will pick up recycled material from companies and businesses in Gothenburg. For Gothenburgers, the hydrogen car means better air quality because the garbage truck only emits clean water. Electric operation is also quiet, which increases the quality of life for those who live in the area and provides a better working environment for those who drive the car.
Renova, Powercell Sweden AB, Scania and JOAB have been working together to develop the car since the autumn of 2019.
– The work has been delayed somewhat in 2020 due to the Covid-19 situation. Therefore, we are very happy that we can now put the car into operation, says Hans Zackrisson.
– For Renova, the development of electrified vehicles is about being at the forefront when it comes to safety, the environment and technical development. Since 2015, all of our 250 heavy vehicles run on fossil-free fuel and in 2019, a fully electric garbage truck began driving in central Gothenburg, says Anders Åström, CEO of Renova.
-With the hydrogen car, we and our customers take another step for sustainable recycling and waste management. The hydrogen car provides great environmental benefits for everyone who lives and works in the city, for the urban environment, and for our staff, continues Anders, CEO of Renova.
The car gets all the benefits that come with electrification while retaining some of the benefits of fossil fuels, such as range, uptime and load capacity.
-The hydrogen car, unlike other heavy vehicles with electric drive, needs much less battery capacity. This means that it has all the advantages of an electric car while at the same time having the same load capacity as a conventional diesel car, says Hans Zackrisson, head of vehicle development at Renova.
Scania, which has a multifaceted view of sustainable transport, highlights the partnership as an important success factor in the development of Sweden’s first hydrogen truck.
– I am proud that we have now developed fuel cell-powered vehicles for heavy traffic in Sweden. It shows once again how important the work with sustainability is, but also the importance of working in groups, that we do it together with partners. Now it will be interesting to follow the vehicle in sharp operation in Gothenburg and the surrounding area over time, says Joar Turesson, Product marketing manager at Scania Sweden.
– With the help of fuel cells and hydrogen, we can electrify heavy transport vehicles without losing load capacity or range and with a refueling time that does not differ significantly from diesel-powered vehicles, says Andreas Bodén, sales manager at PowerCell Sweden AB.
To support the development of the electrified truck, the four companies have been jointly granted a grant from the Swedish Energy Agency. The Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, also participates in the project of collecting data and processing and analyzing it for comparison with other alternative drivelines and vehicle fuels.
Source: Renova
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