The municipality of Rotterdam is testing the world’s very first hydrogen vacuum cleaner. The sewer service will then use the special truck to clean the wells and sewers in the city.
The fact that Rotterdam is now investing in this hydrogen truck is in line with the municipality’s ambition: by 2030, all vehicles must be ‘clean’ and no longer run on fossil fuels. This already applies to almost 400 electric vehicles. The new suction dredger is the first vehicle in the municipal fleet that runs on hydrogen.
Sustainability alderman Arno Bonte thinks this is a wonderful first. “Vacuum cleaners consume a lot of energy and therefore also a lot of fuel. That fuel is now completely clean. The hydrogen vacuum cleaner does not produce any CO2 and keeps the air in the city healthy. In this way we contribute to our climate goals and to making the city more attractive.”
Schoon
Rotterdam is the world’s first user of a suction dredger that works on hydrogen. The engine is electric. The electric motor is powered by hydrogen. Thanks to a larger capacity than that of batteries, the truck can work longer and drive more kilometers than a fully electric truck. The only emissions the car produces is water, so no more dirty exhaust gases.
Refueling with hydrogen
This first sustainable truck was built by Hyzon. A company that specializes in the new development of heavy hydrogen vehicles. To refuel with hydrogen, the suction dredger has to go to Rhoon, where the only hydrogen filling station in the Rijnmond region is located. Rotterdam will soon have more hydrogen stations.
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