Hydrogen-electric QUANTRON QHM FCEV AERO
As the world races to decarbonize for a livable climate future, few sectors face greater upheaval than global trucking. An empire built on the diesel engine now faces an existential reckoning.
"We are witnessing two colliding disruptions simultaneously," Michael Perschke tells me. "There's the core shift from internal combustion power to batteries and fuel cells. But also reimagining entire supply chain operations in the process."
Perschke is the CEO of Quantron, a German startup on the frontlines of pioneering hydrogen solutions to replace diesel for heavy transport. They commercialize both electric-powered buses and trucks and hydrogen fuel cell trucks, that they believe are ideal for heavy-duty, long range transport.
I met him at Lisbon’s Web Summit, where the company announced a partnership with the Oilinvest Group (a major player in the European downstream oil industry, better known for its Tamoil and HEM brands) to build hydrogen- based refueling infrastructure to supply fuel cell electric heavy trucks. The partnership has given birth to a new joint venture, HEMTRON.
The scale of the transition that Perschke envisions is staggering. Considering that the modern economy relies on trucks to move nearly all goods across vast distances, completely overhauling this distributed infrastructure while maintaining reliability poses an exceptionally intricate challenge.
First of all, route planning must account for new range constraints. "Today you don't have range anxiety. You fill the diesel truck and it arrives as long as you want with 1200, 1600 liters of diesel. Tomorrow you need to operate your assets with range anxiety in mind. So you need to re-plan your routing," Perschke noted.
Energy companies must rapidly build filling stations for electrons and molecules. Right now, hypercharging infrastructure for electric trucks in Europe is nearly non-existent, posing significant challenges for reliable route planning.
"There is nothing. There is maybe a few stations but by accident not by design."
The situation is improving. In Sweden, some 130 charging stations are planned to open in 2023 and 2024 and a new network of six ultra-fast 300kW electric vehicle chargers has recently opened in Germany along the Rhone-Alpine logistics corridor. But we are clearly still in the very early stages.
Infrastructure for heavy-duty hydrogen trucks is also in its infancy. Which is one of the reasons the partnership with Oilinvest was signed. Oilinvest subsidiaries operate around 2,450 filling stations under the Tamoil and HEM brands in Europe; together with third party and newly established locations, this network will provide a foundation for the proliferation of zero-emission fuel cell electric vehicles.
The economic implications of this shift are also significant. Perschke highlights the rising costs associated with green transportation (including implementing new technologies, infrastructure development, and the transition to clean energy sources), stating, "You need to have a customer who has to understand that green transportation doesn't come for free. He has to also be willing to pay more. The total cost of ownership of operating per kilometer will get more expensive." This reflects a broader need for market education on the value and cost of sustainable practices.
Yet the environment cannot afford inaction. The numbers testify to trucking's enormous carbon footprint. In the U.S. alone, medium to heavy duty trucks spewed over 417 million metric tons of CO2 in 2021. In the same year, heavy duty trucks and buses accounted for 27% of the around 740 million tonnes of carbon dioxide that were emitted in the EU. The European Union has set ambitious goals to improve the situation, aiming to slash CO2 emissions from trucks by 90% by 2040.
Quantron aims to lead the charge in driving down these emissions.
"We are a very early mover. We have the first long distance suitable hydrogen fuel cell truck in Europe. We are the only truck who can tomorrow pull a standard trailer," said Perschke. Describing their work on hydrogen fuel cell technology, he explains that Quantron uniquely "up-engineers" existing diesel trucks by replacing the engine and tank with hydrogen fuel cells, keeping the chassis intact.
For heavy transport, Quantron believes hydrogen has key advantages over batteries. Refueling takes minutes, not hours. On costs, batteries can compete for personal vehicles and daily commuting.
"I personally believe that day to day personal mobility, the largest amount of need can be satisfied with electric vehicles. Because at the end of the day a hydrogen vehicle makes sense if you have to run it really long distance, if you want to really avoid downtime for charging and if you have access to fairly cost competitive hydrogen."
On this, there are different schools of thought. A 2022 study by the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research, for instance, estimated that electric trucks could still retain a competitive advantage, even on long distances. “Within 4.5 hours, a heavy truck could travel up to around 400km and thus practical ranges of about 450km would suffice, if high-power fast charging for battery electric trucks was widely available,” the lead researcher said.
At the end of the day, there could be a role for both technologies. "Neither is a silver bullet. You need different solutions based on topography, climate, grid capacity," Quantron’s CEO says.
For example, battery range plummets hauling heavy loads up mountain inclines in freezing weather. Rapid charging suffers congestion when queues form. Hydrogen sidesteps these issues.
With coordinated efforts spanning infrastructure, operations and vehicle technologies, Perschke remains confident goods can keep flowing reliably in a zero emission future. Achieving this will require a shared commitment - across public, private and consumer spheres. All have a role on the long haul to decarbonization.
