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To electrify long distance trucks Bosch developed a fuel-cell power module (FCPM) it is already using for internal logistics. For long disctances f-cell and hyd

by cachius 11mo ago

To electrify long distance trucks Bosch developed a fuel-cell power module (FCPM) it is already using for internal logistics. For long disctances f-cell and hydrogen tank are lighter than batteries would be. It supposedly can do 1000km without stops. https://www.bosch-mobility.com/en/mobility-topics/fuel-cell-electric-drive/#benefits_2 https://www.bosch-mobility.com/en/mobility-topics/fuel-cell-... See also my other comment at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46075305#46076161 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46075305#46076161

p_l 11mo ago
Toyota has also been working on "hydrogen cartridges" that can be quick swapped including just delivering them like fuel cans
- aixpert 11mo ago
  by betting on the wrong horse Toyota positions itself for irrelevancy
namibj 11mo ago
Only high speed trucks have a crew of drivers to rotate through to drive without more than a toilet break. Hydrogen is very expensive compared to just batteries. The weight savings only make up for the horrible efficiency of hydrogen once you are looking at an airplane. Just use a battery, really. And put transport over distances that exceed one driver shift on trains.
- cachius 11mo ago
  The weight reductions may reduce TCO by one fifth through increased capacity https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46075305#46078485 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46075305#46078485 Plus no range reduction in cold conditions. Plus you can store hydrogen long-term for winter. And transport Liquid Hydrogen with huge energy density per truck/ship to remote places. https://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/threads/the-cryo-hauler-thread.2472216/ https://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/thre... Sounds like a win for northern quartersphere.
  - seanmcdirmid 11mo ago
    You need massive infrastructure investments to freeze it, vehicles are more expensive because the tanks need to freeze it, fuel in stations need to freeze it, tanker trucks that deliver it need to freeze it, there is a lot of energy lost in freezing snd heating it back up. China doesn’t feel rich enough to build all of that when charging stations are pretty straightforward and cheap. Probably the only thing holding back electric for long hauls now is the lack of infrastructure (grid is needed to build charging stations, and truckers prefer untolled routes without much of that), and also sunk costs on their existing trucks (which tend to last what feel likes forever with cheap repairs).
crote 11mo ago
Hydrogen trucks are mostly a solution looking for a problem. Most countries have duty hour limits for safety reasons, as having a trucker drive for 20 hours at a time is a really bad idea. Similarly, they usually have a mandatory mid-duty break. Combined with the speed limit for heavy-duty vehicles, this provides a clear upper bound on the range any truck needs to have, and today's electric trucks are really close to it - or even exceed this already. This reduces hydrogen trucks to multi-driver trips (incredibly rare due to the significant additional cost) and multi-day trips without rest stops (Australia?). Considering that the market is going to be tiny: who's going to buy expensive hard-to-maintain trucks, and how are they going to refuel them? Wouldn't it make more sense to just build diesel-electric trucks and fuel that handful with carbon sequestered diesel?
- cachius 11mo ago
  Perfect fit for platooning/self driving trucks. Also fast charging is more weary on batteries.
  - seanmcdirmid 11mo ago
    Fast charging is fine if they keep it between 20 and 80.
tim333 11mo ago
I think maybe a better solution for long distance trucks is swappable batteries like Jauns https://fullycharged.show/episodes/this-giant-electric-semi-can-swap-out-its-batteries/ https://fullycharged.show/episodes/this-giant-electric-semi-... There's a difference with cars in that people want elegant things for their car. With a heavy truck you can just kind of load a large battery pack onto a platform with a fork lift, or similar.
- seanmcdirmid 11mo ago
  At that point just swap the trailers?
_aavaa_ 11mo ago
Hydrogen failed in cars for the same predictable reasons it will fail in trucking. It’s far too complicated and too expensive, and it’s only selling point (long distance per charge and slow charging) are things that BEVs are continuously getting better at. Hydrogen continues to be a predatory delay strategy.
rasz 11mo ago
All those Hydrogen programs in EU are just milking subsidies https://electrek.co/2025/11/22/daimler-ceo-just-dropped-some-pretty-wild-pro-hydrogen-claims/ https://electrek.co/2025/11/22/daimler-ceo-just-dropped-some... and arent serious.
- logifail 11mo ago
  > All those Hydrogen programs in EU are just milking subsidies [...] Unfortunately, "milking subsidies" has a long and (in)glorious history in the EU. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/may/04/eu-sugar-dairy-farm-subsidies https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/may/04/eu-sugar... just for starters, but it's a long list....

by cachius 11mo ago

p_l 11mo ago

Toyota has also been working on "hydrogen cartridges" that can be quick swapped including just delivering them like fuel cans

aixpert 11mo ago
by betting on the wrong horse Toyota positions itself for irrelevancy

namibj 11mo ago

Only high speed trucks have a crew of drivers to rotate through to drive without more than a toilet break. Hydrogen is very expensive compared to just batteries. The weight savings only make up for the horrible efficiency of hydrogen once you are looking at an airplane. Just use a battery, really. And put transport over distances that exceed one driver shift on trains.

cachius 11mo ago
The weight reductions may reduce TCO by one fifth through increased capacity https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46075305#46078485 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46075305#46078485 Plus no range reduction in cold conditions. Plus you can store hydrogen long-term for winter. And transport Liquid Hydrogen with huge energy density per truck/ship to remote places. https://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/threads/the-cryo-hauler-thread.2472216/ https://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/thre... Sounds like a win for northern quartersphere.
- seanmcdirmid 11mo ago
  You need massive infrastructure investments to freeze it, vehicles are more expensive because the tanks need to freeze it, fuel in stations need to freeze it, tanker trucks that deliver it need to freeze it, there is a lot of energy lost in freezing snd heating it back up. China doesn’t feel rich enough to build all of that when charging stations are pretty straightforward and cheap. Probably the only thing holding back electric for long hauls now is the lack of infrastructure (grid is needed to build charging stations, and truckers prefer untolled routes without much of that), and also sunk costs on their existing trucks (which tend to last what feel likes forever with cheap repairs).

crote 11mo ago

Hydrogen trucks are mostly a solution looking for a problem. Most countries have duty hour limits for safety reasons, as having a trucker drive for 20 hours at a time is a really bad idea. Similarly, they usually have a mandatory mid-duty break. Combined with the speed limit for heavy-duty vehicles, this provides a clear upper bound on the range any truck needs to have, and today's electric trucks are really close to it - or even exceed this already. This reduces hydrogen trucks to multi-driver trips (incredibly rare due to the significant additional cost) and multi-day trips without rest stops (Australia?). Considering that the market is going to be tiny: who's going to buy expensive hard-to-maintain trucks, and how are they going to refuel them? Wouldn't it make more sense to just build diesel-electric trucks and fuel that handful with carbon sequestered diesel?

cachius 11mo ago
Perfect fit for platooning/self driving trucks. Also fast charging is more weary on batteries.
- seanmcdirmid 11mo ago
  Fast charging is fine if they keep it between 20 and 80.

tim333 11mo ago

I think maybe a better solution for long distance trucks is swappable batteries like Jauns https://fullycharged.show/episodes/this-giant-electric-semi-can-swap-out-its-batteries/ https://fullycharged.show/episodes/this-giant-electric-semi-... There's a difference with cars in that people want elegant things for their car. With a heavy truck you can just kind of load a large battery pack onto a platform with a fork lift, or similar.

seanmcdirmid 11mo ago
At that point just swap the trailers?

_aavaa_ 11mo ago

Hydrogen failed in cars for the same predictable reasons it will fail in trucking. It’s far too complicated and too expensive, and it’s only selling point (long distance per charge and slow charging) are things that BEVs are continuously getting better at. Hydrogen continues to be a predatory delay strategy.

rasz 11mo ago

All those Hydrogen programs in EU are just milking subsidies https://electrek.co/2025/11/22/daimler-ceo-just-dropped-some-pretty-wild-pro-hydrogen-claims/ https://electrek.co/2025/11/22/daimler-ceo-just-dropped-some... and arent serious.

logifail 11mo ago
> All those Hydrogen programs in EU are just milking subsidies [...] Unfortunately, "milking subsidies" has a long and (in)glorious history in the EU. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/may/04/eu-sugar-dairy-farm-subsidies https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/may/04/eu-sugar... just for starters, but it's a long list....