In the Swiss branch in Altenrhein, the logistics company Gebrüder Weiss relies on a Hyundai Xcient Fuel Cell that runs entirely on hydrogen. At Gebrüder Weiss, the hydrogen truck will primarily be on the road for a customer in the renewable energy sector.
The Gebrüder Weiss vehicle fleet is now being supplemented by a hydrogen truck. The Hyundai Xcient Fuel Cell model delivered to the Altenrhein branch in Switzerland is fueled with hydrogen from ecological power sources instead of diesel. The logistics company reports that this commercial vehicle can save around 80 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
“The corona pandemic has somewhat pushed the challenge of climate change out of the top headlines,” emphasizes Wolfram Senger-Weiss, CEO at Gebrüder Weiss. In the logistics industry, however, intensive work is continuing on alternative forms of drive with the manufacturers. “We want to gain experience with this technology in order to prepare for possible widespread practical use.”
Swiss hydrogen filling station network under construction
The Hyundai Xcient Fuel Cell is a 36-ton truck designed to transport around 25 tons of goods. The range of the truck is around 600 kilometers. The truck is powered by a 350-kilowatt electric drive that is powered by a chemical reaction of water and oxygen. The Swiss hydrogen filling station network is currently being set up, but can already be used throughout eastern Switzerland.
According to the manufacturer, 2,000 such hydrogen trucks are to be produced and delivered by the end of 2021. “We are proud that we are among the first recipients of these vehicles worldwide,” says Wolfram Senger-Weiss. “We see the H2 truck as an interesting alternative to existing drive technologies and plan to use it in Austria and southern Germany in the future, given the appropriate infrastructure,” says Senger-Weiss.
For Gebrüder Weiss, the use of the hydrogen truck is a further step in the direction of testing environmentally friendly drive technologies in everyday logistics. The logistician already operates several gas trucks in Austria, Germany and Serbia, as well as fully electric motor vehicles in the greater Vienna and Graz area. Gebrüder Weiss is also a member of the H2 Mobility Switzerland association. This cooperative designed and implemented the world’s first ecosystem for the practical use of hydrogen propulsion.
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