Sainsbury’s to trial hydrogen-powered truck

UK: Solomon Commercials has partnered with Electra Commercial Vehicles to deliver the UK’s first zero-emission refrigerated fuel cell electric vehicle.

The Electra eCargo FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) will be on trial with Sainsbury’s as part of the Road to Hydrogen – a UK Government-funded project focused on helping the UK solve challenges around zero-emission road freight.

The 19-tonne truck has four type-three cylinders providing it with a capacity of 20kg of hydrogen at 350bar.

“Fitted with a Proton Motors HY45 fuel cell, the vehicle will have an operating timescale of 9-10 hours, after which it can come back to base needing a quick refill of hydrogen so that it can be double shifted,” said Ben Smith, MD of Electra Commercial Vehicles.

“The tried-and-tested FCEV combinations we built have demonstrated that an 8-hour operational multi-drop urban shift is easily achievable,” he added.

It features a Carrier Iceland split refrigeration system, which is also powered by hydrogen with an EV Powerbox inverter charger.