UPS is beginning to trial medium-duty fuel cell trucks in the US in an attempt to match the range of its conventionally-fuelled vehicles.
Working with the US Department of Energy, the trial will involve Class 6 vehicles using an on-board fuel cell to generate electricity as a part of UPS’ Rolling Laboratory fleet. Each vehicle will be capable of 125 miles, with a 32kW fuel cell fed by a 10kg hydrogen load. 45kWh of battery storage delivers power to the wheels, with the trial covering a minimum of 5,000 miles.
Mark Wallace, UPS Senior Vice President of Global Engineering and Sustainability commented, “The challenge we face with fuel cell technology is to ensure the design can meet the unique operational demands of our delivery vehicles on a commercial scale. This project is an essential step to test the zero tailpipe emissions technology and vehicle on the road for UPS and the transportation industry.
“We have a long history of developing and promoting the use of more sustainable alternative fuels with our Rolling Laboratory, and hope that by bringing our unique expertise to the development of hydrogen fuels, we can help advance the technology.”
