Ruh-Roh Here Comes Another Electric Truck, With Fuel Cells

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The Intertubes lit up on April 28 with a number of auto business observers reporting that quantity manufacturing of the long-delayed Tesla Semi Class 8 electrical truck has been pushed again to 2026. Derp! In the meantime, different producers are already in sizzling competitors to nail a slice of the truck market, and a few of them are specializing in lighter lessons that current fewer challenges to electrification. The newest outfit to pile on is a brand new five-way consortium that plans to construct Class 6 gas cell electrical vans for the US market, aiming for full manufacturing as early because the latter a part of 2026.

The place, Oh The place, Is The Semi Electrical Truck?

When Tesla CEO Elon Musk first launched the thought of a Tesla-branded Class 8 truck back in 2017the closest competitors within the US was the gas cell truck startup Nikola. The Nikola enterprise quickly bumped into bother and eventually went up in smoke only a few weeks in the past, when the would-be truck maker lastly filed for chapter.

In one other day and age that may have left the sector clear for Tesla, particularly contemplating preliminary expectations that the Semi would be ready for production in 2019.

Nonetheless, alongside comes 2022 and there may be nonetheless no Semi in quantity manufacturing. Musk staged a media event for the Semi project in December of 2022, wherein he described plans to provide 50,000 vans by 2024, however 2024 got here and went with out getting near that determine.

Tesla did announce a the start of construction for its Semi factory in Nevada in January of 2024. The corporate additionally started work on a facility to provide the a great deal of 4680 batteries wanted to energy the vans. Issues gave the impression to be transferring alongside, although work was nonetheless underneath approach as of April 11 this 12 months, when Freight Waves famous that the delays have created some issues for Tesla’s would-be Semi clients.

Ryder, for instance, scored funding from the California’s Cell Supply Air Air pollution Discount Assessment Committee to subject 48 Tesla Semi trucks. The corporate reportedly downscaled the contracted plan to only 18 vans and it additionally requested a 28-month extension to account for the delay on Tesla’s finish. The extension may even cowl delays associated to a change in charging infrastructure.

For the file, this week’s information of a delay to 2026 confirms a report in Freight Waves dated October 23, 2024, which cited Tesla executives stating that full manufacturing is not going to be forthcoming this 12 months.

Right here Come The Class 6 Electrical Vans, With A Gas Cell Twist

To be honest, electrifying a Class 8 truck is not any stroll within the park. Class 6 is a lighter, simpler mark, some frequent examples being beverage vans and faculty buses.

One might argue all day over whether or not or not Tesla might have, or ought to have, staked its declare to the Class 6 truck market as an easy-pickings followup to its excessive profile Cybertruck “pickup truck” as an alternative of placing all its eggs within the Class 8 basket. However, that’s all water underneath the bridge now, and Tesla’s lapse leaves the Class 6 subject open for different producers.

The brand new Class 6 electrical truck consortium is spearheaded by the main US truck providers agency Fontaine Modification (a Marmon Holdings/Berkshire Hathaway firm) at its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, alongside the main Canadian agency Ballard Energy Techniques and Linamar Corporationa, and the French firm Forsee Energy.

Fontaine is tasked with integrating the varied truck techniques, including batteries as well as fuel cellson a 26,000-pound straight truck chassis, with straight referring to vans wherein the cab is absolutely connected to the physique.

“Ballard Power Systems is supplying the fuel cell system, and Forsee Power is supplying the high-voltage battery system. Linamar Corporation is providing the FCEV’s eAxle,” Fontaine explains.

A fifth member of the staff, Kentucky Trailer (one other Berkshire Hathaway firm), will handle outfitting the physique to be used.

If all goes in accordance with plan, a pilot truck shall be prepared for monitor testing at an impartial facility this summer season. With the monitor cycle accomplished, the truck will then be ferried off for six months of highway trials with a to-be-named buyer described as “a large commercial fleet in the U.S.”

“The consortium anticipates that upon successful completion of the field trial, regular production of the truck will begin as early as late 2026,” Fontaine affirmed in a press assertion.

What’s The Massive Deal About Class 6 Electrical Vans?

For those who’re questioning why the brand new consortium is specializing in Class 6, that’s a very good query. David Brosky, director of gross sales and enterprise improvement – eMobility at Fontaine, explains that their new truck is aimed on the burgeoning middle-mile market between distribution facilities, which have been sprouting up willy-nilly on the heels of the e-commerce increase.

“This segment is usually the longest, with runs within states or across regions of typically 300 to 500 miles,” Brosky states. “It’s that need for longer range that makes a fuel-cell system the best zero-emission option for efficiently powering a middle-mile truck.”

As for the gas cell angle, with out opening up a complete ‘nother can of worms let’s simply say that whereas the brand new truck is billed as a gas cell EV, it will also be described as a hybrid gas cell and battery EV. The battery isn’t just there to deal with auxiliary duties. As a substitute, it helps to cowl the propulsion chores.

If that sounds needlessly sophisticated, which may be so. Nonetheless, the thought of supplementing batteries with a variety extender shouldn’t be new. Final 12 months, for instance, phrase surfaced that Volvo’s forthcoming Scout EV is providing a gas-fueled range extender as an possibility. Different automakers have additionally adopted the thought, although Normal Motors can take credit score for first use again in 2010, when it launched the Chevy Volt. The Volt electric sedan sported a gasoline tank to run an on-board generator along with a battery pack, with the purpose of eliminating vary nervousness.

Hydrogen fuel cell range extenders for vans have additionally surfaced on the CleanTechnica radar, and apparently Ballard has noticed a chance to pitch its FCmove®-XD  gas cell within the Class 6 space.

“The module provides an easy integration platform for vehicle OEMs and integrators and is designed to deliver up to 60 percent fuel efficiency with volumetric power density of 0.36kW/L while lasting over 30,000 hours in operation,” explains Nicolas Pocard, Ballard’s VP for advertising and marketing and strategic partnerships.

“Depending on the situation, the FCEV is driven by the battery, by the fuel cell, or by both if extra power is needed,” elaborates Forsee Energy gross sales supervisor Jeremy Hiler.

“It was critical to offer a solution that can meet the technical needs of long distance (power peaks on highway) and local deliveries, optimizing the cost,” Hiler provides.

Maintain on to your hats. In different new fuel cell truck news this week, on April 22 Honda lifted the veil on its Class 8 gas cell electrical truck idea on the Superior Clear Transportation Expo with full manufacturing anticipated in 2027. Additionally exhibiting at ACT is the DC-64 Hydrogen Gas Cell Tractor, a joint mission of Autocar Vans and GM aimed on the “severe-duty” market, which means waste hauling and concrete mixing, amongst different duties.

Picture (cropped): A five-way consortium goals to construct gas cell a Class 6 gas cell electrical truck for the North American market, aimed toward decarbonizing middle-mile journeys amongst warehouses (courtesy of Fontaine Modification).