Toyota, Paccar team up on
clean hydrogen tech that Elon Musk and others dismiss as 'fool cells'
[CNBC] Paul A. Eisenstein
CNBC January 20, 2019
Toyota and Paccar have unveiled the first of 10 prototype trucks that will rely on hydrogen fuel cells.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a critic, calling the technology "fool cells."
From a fuel economy perspective, the prototype trucks will be roughly equivalent to a current diesel, or around 5 to 7 miles per gallon.
At this month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the partners unveiled the first of 10 prototype trucks that will rely on hydrogen fuel cells. That puts the partners in competition with players like Tesla that are focusing on battery-powered semis.
"We believe that carrying energy in the form of hydrogen for heavy-duty Class 8 trucks makes more sense than carrying it in batteries"
because the trucks can be refilled faster and offer longer range, said Brian Lindgren, director of research and development for Paccar subsidiary Kenworth.
Fossil fuel replacement
While hydrogen could be used as a direct replacement for fossil fuels in internal combustion engines, most efforts focus on using it to power fuel cells. That technology — which was conceived back in the 1850s — forces hydrogen gas through a catalyst-coated membrane where it bonds with oxygen from the air. The process creates water vapor and a stream of electrons that can power the same electric motors that are found in a battery-electric vehicle. That's why some experts refer to fuel cells as "refillable batteries."
In passenger cars such as the Toyota Mirai or Honda Clarity FCV it takes about five minutes to refuel a hydrogen tank with a range of around 300 miles, far less than required to recharge a battery. Though refilling a Class 8 truck's hydrogen tank will take longer, it still would be substantially less than the time needed to charge the batteries needed for a similar semi.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/10/toyota-paccar-team-up-on-clean-hydrogen-trucks-for-la-ports.html