AFV Truck/Commercial Vehicle topic

Lion Electric to deliver 10 all-electric trucks to Amazon

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Three fire trucks with Volvo Penta electric drivelines heading to Berlin, Amsterdam and Dubai to begin customer testing

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Lightning Systems electric shuttle buses now offered on CALACT purchasing contract

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Communities throughout California can now purchase all-electric shuttle buses and ADA-equipped vans from Lightning Systems on a new California Association for Coordinated Transportation (CALACT) cooperative purchasing contract.

City and county governments, transportation agencies, as well as nonprofits, can order all-electric Class 3 to 5 passenger buses under the program. Vehicles eligible include the Ford Transit 350HD Passenger Van and Ford E-450 Shuttle Bus. . . .

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Toyota and Hino Trucks jointly developing Class 8 fuel cell electric truck for North America

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Hino Trucks announces Project Z for Class 4-8 zero emission trucks; fuel-cell and battery-electric

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Hyundai to launch XCIENT Fuel Cell truck, reveal fuel cell commercial vehicle roadmap next week

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Fuel cell company Loop Energy announces China approval for fuel cell bus

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JR East, Hitachi and Toyota to develop hybrid hydrogen fuel cell railway vehicles; HYBARI

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Siemens Energy and Siemens Mobility to develop and offer hydrogen systems for trains

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Mack Trucks delivers Mack LR Electric model to Republic Services to begin real-world trials

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Volvo Group’s subsidiary Mack Trucks has delivered a pre-production Mack LR Electric model (earlier post) to Republic Services to begin in-service trials in the demanding refuse segment. Mack will use key learnings from the trials to further refine the LR Electric as it prepares to accept orders for the truck in Q4 2020, with production beginning in 2021. . . .

Republic will test the LR Electric model in Hickory, North Carolina on one of its residential recycling collection routes. The LR Electric will be evaluated for its range, functionality and payload capacity.

Featuring a fully electric integrated powertrain, the Republic Mack LR Electric is equipped with two electric motors with a combined output of 536 peak horsepower. The powertrain delivers 4,051 lb.-ft. of torque available from zero RPM, which is fed through a two-speed Mack Powershift transmission to Mack’s proprietary S462R 46,000-pound rear axles.

Four NMC lithium-ion (Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide) battery packs are charged via a 150kW, SAE J1772-compliant charging system. All accessories are electrically driven through 12V, 24V and 600V circuits. . . .

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Hyundai delivers first 7 XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks in Europe; plans for North America and China; 2,000 units per year by 2021

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Hyundai Motor Company delivered the first seven units of its XCIENT Fuel Cell, the first mass-produced fuel cell electric heavy-duty truck, to customers in Switzerland, with a total of 50 planned to hit the roads there this year. . . .

Production capacity of the XCIENT Fuel Cell will reach 2,000 units per year by 2021 to support its expansion into Europe, the US and China as demand for clean mobility grows. The increase in capacity will be backed by a US$1.3-billion investment in addition to a previously announced US$6.4-billion stake in establishing a hydrogen ecosystem to support creation of a hydrogen society. . . .

By 2030, Hyundai expects more than 12,000 fuel cell trucks to hit the US roads.

Hyundai also is working with various parties in China, which aims to get 1 million hydrogen vehicles on its roads by 2030 as the country’s hydrogen industry is on a sharp growth trend, creating massive potential. Initially, Hyundai will focus on China’s four major hydrogen hubs: Jin-jin-ji, Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong Province and Sichuan Province. It is currently discussing cooperative initiatives such as a joint venture with local partners.

Three fuel cell electric trucks are scheduled for launch in China: a medium-duty truck in 2022, a heavy-duty truck in in a couple of years, and another heavy-duty truck strategically designed for the China market. With these models, Hyundai’s goal is to achieve aggregate sales volume of 27,000 units by 2030. . . .

As part of its production expansion plan, Hyundai expects to supply 1,600 commercial fuel cell trucks by 2025. Currently, Coop, Migros, Traveco, Galliker Logistics, Camion Transport, F. Murpf AG and G. Leclerc Transport AG along with others have placed orders for XCIENT Fuel Cell. They will be utilizing the trucks to haul everything from food to cars around Europe.

To support the growing hydrogen ecosystem, Hyundai has a business case for more than 100 hydrogen fueling stations in Switzerland, which is enough not only for commercial vehicles, but also passenger fuel cell electric vehicles. Likewise, Hyundai plans to act as a sector coupler in bringing various players to the hydrogen value chain as part of its efforts to bring value. . . .

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Fluid Truck orders 600 Lightning electric trucks and vans

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. . . Fluid Truck, a national truck rental platform, will incorporate 600 Lightning Electric vehicles into its fleet, with availability starting in Q4 2020.

Fluid Truck enables businesses easily to rent and pick up vehicles from nearby locations 24/7, 365 days a year. Users in major cities across the United States can access vehicles through both the Fluid Truck website and mobile application.

Fluid Truck’s 600 vehicle order calls for an assortment of Lightning Electric Ford Transit 350HD delivery vans, Lightning Electric Ford E-450 Class 4 trucks, and Lightning Electric Hino 268 Class 6 trucks. The all-electric vehicles will be deployed in major urban areas across the US. . . .

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RATP beginning tests of Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen bus in Paris

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. . . Over the next few weeks, RATP will test the hydrogen-fueled bus on the streets of Paris. RATP will devote most of this time testing the operational capabilities of the vehicle in regular passenger traffic.

The Solaris hydrogen-powered bus tests will be carried out in the south of Paris. The vehicle will be stationed at a depot in the Thiais district, and will be refueled at the Jouy en Josas station in the south-west suburbs of the capital. . . .

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ROUSH CleanTech enters EV market with Class 6 electric vehicles

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. . . ROUSH is providing Penske Truck Leasing with all-new Ford F-650 battery electric vehicles later this year for deployment across Southern California. . . .

The demonstration units were funded in part by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), the regulatory agency focused on improving air quality for large areas of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

ROUSH CleanTech’s battery electric vehicles have a maximum speed of 65 mph and a 100-mile range. . . .

Production of the electric trucks starts in summer of 2021.

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Ulstein introduces second hydrogen vessel design: J102 hydrogen hybrid wind turbine installation vessel

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. . .The ULSTEIN J102 zero emission wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), can operate 75% of the time in zero emission mode. Using readily available technology, the additional cost is limited to less than 5% of the total CAPEX.

Most new jack-up designs feature a battery hybrid system in addition to diesel gen sets, with a future option for hydrogen-powered fuel cell systems, Ulstein said. The downside however of a high-power battery energy storage system (BESS) is the heavy weight and cost. That is not beneficial for a WTIV design, where weight savings are essential for minimizing Elevated Weight and optimizing the Variable Deck Load. . . .

We have carefully analyzed the operational cycle of WTIVs and looked at the power demand in the various modes of operations. This analysis showed that around 75% of its time, a WTIV is in jacked-up position performing crane operations. Using a combination of a hydrogen fuel cell system and a relatively small battery energy storage system (BESS) is then sufficient to meet the overall power demand on board and crane peak loads.

—Ko Stroo, Product Manager at Ulstein

The same design philosophy as on our first hydrogen powered SX190 design, resulted in a much more attractive business case when applied to a turbine installation vessel.

—Edwin van Leeuwen, managing director of Ulstein’s Rotterdam design office. . . .

Main features of ULSTEIN’s J102 hydrogen-hybrid zero-emission design are:

CO2 reduction per year: 4,000 mt

Emission reduction per installation cycle: 25%

H2 fuel cell system: PEM fuel cell

H2 storage system: 7 x 40ft containers compressed H2

Battery energy storage. . . .

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Workhorse receives purchase order for 500 C-1000 electric delivery trucks from Pritchard Companies

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. . . Separately, Workhorse management announced that it would not meet its earlier projected target of 300-400 vehicles to be produced by the end of 2020. . . .

Hughes said Workhorse was unable to give a specific estimate because of:

The inability of our primary battery supplier to meet our volumes due to capacity issues and COVID-related slowdowns; and

COVID-19. More than 36% of its production-related staff are currently out with the virus or quarantined awaiting results. Given the situation, Workhorse has modified the assembly process, limited production support from third party sources, and delayed planned additions to the assembly staff.

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California legislators call on Governor to take technology-neutral approach to HDV decarbonization plans

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Nine members of the California state legislature sent a formal letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom urging that he take a technology-neutral approach to decarbonization and not focus the state’s transportation sector investments solely on battery-electric vehicles, particularly in medium- and heavy-duty transportation applications where they say fuel cell electric vehicles may be the only solution. . . .

It is critical that at the early stages of achieving this righteous goal, we do not pick winners and losers with regard to various zero emission technologies. Even within the text of the Executive Order, there are different guidelines for passenger and heavy-duty vehicles, which highlights the fundamental fact that the needs of various vehicle classes are diverse, dependent upon their individual utilization, and unlikely to be solved by a single zero emission solution.

Thankfully, we currently have two zero emission technologies at our disposal as we seek to both clean up our local air quality and reduce our contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions. However, in order to leverage these zero emission technology options, it is imperative that the state take a technology-neutral approach to regulatory and legislative efforts that seek to inch us closer to a fully carbon-free transportation sector. There will be no fell-swoop solution, there is no silver bullet, and we must support and advance every zero emission mobility option possible as we work to realize the goals set forth in your Executive Order.

We stand deeply concerned about the impacts of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, buses, vessels, locomotives and off-road equipment on our local air quality and greenhouse gas emissions. These sectors are particularly difficult to convert to zero emission, and are especially well-suited for hydrogen fuel cell technology.

Many in the scientific community believe that hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are the only feasible approach to achieving zero emissions in these heavy-duty and commercial sector applications.

—Letter to the governor

Copies of the letter were sent also to California Air Resources Board (CARB) Chair Mary Nichols and California Energy Commission (CEC) Chair David Hochschild.

The three-page letter—which represents the first time legislators have formally responded to Newsom’s recent Executive Order on zero-emission vehicles — says there has been a disproportionate focus on battery-electric vehicle technology through the state’s many funding programs administered by CARB and the CEC. . . .

Signatories to the letter, initiated and organized by Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera), include Archuleta, Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo (D-Los Angeles), Assemblymember Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Ventura), Assemblymember Mike Gipson (D-Carson), Assemblyember Marc Levine (D-Marin County), Assemblymember James Ramos (D-Highlands), and Assemblymember Autumn Burke (D- Inglewood)

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Cummins and Navistar to collaborate on fuel-cell heavy-duty Class 8 truck

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. . . The project will be funded in part through an award from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) announced earlier this year (earlier post), as part of DOE’s H2@Scale initiative to develop affordable hydrogen production, storage, distribution and use. . . .

The powertrain will be integrated into an International RH Series and uses two HyPM HD90 power modules, made up of HD45 fuel cell stacks connected in series.

Instead of having a single large fuel cell operate at an inefficient partial load, individual HD45 power modules can be turned on/off to provide adequate power at an efficient full load.

The prototype fuel cell Class 8 truck will ultimately see a year-long field test. The truck will be integrated into Werner Enterprises’ fleet of more than 7,700 tractors and operated in real-world local and/or regional delivery operation out of Fontana, California. . . .

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Doosan to develop Ceres-based SOFC system for ships

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Doosan Fuel Cell Co., Ltd has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the joint development of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system for marine propulsion and power generation with Navig8, a Singapore-based major shipping company which operates 140 chemical and oil tankers globally.

Doosan will develop and install a SOFC power and propulsion system in a 50,000 ton chemical tanker owned by Navig8 as a pilot program for commercialization. This system will be based on Ceres Power Holdings’ proprietary SteelCell SOFC stack technology (earlier post).

In October, Doosan and Ceres announced a strategic collaboration which includes the building of an initial 50MW manufacturing facility for the manufacture under licence of Ceres’ fuel cell stacks in South Korea. . . .

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Wind-powered transatlantic car carrier could cut carbon emissions by 90%

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Sailing ships were once the backbone of international commerce, and now a Swedish shipbuilder is trying to give sails a high-tech update in order to reduce emissions.

Oceanbird is a proposed a 35,000-ton, 650-foot, transoceanic car carrier, powered mostly by wind, that can reduce carbon emissions by a claimed 90% compared to a conventional ship. The ship was designed by Wallenius Marine, which is working with the Swedish government and several research institutions on the project, according to CNN. The partners hope to have a full-size ship sailing by 2024.

The ship's sails are no mere canvas. Five telescopic wing-shaped elements stand 260 feet above the deck. They can rotate 360 degrees without touching each other, or retract to 195 feet in rough weather, and to allow the ship to pass under bridges.

Vertical wings like these have been proposed before, but this is likely the first time they will be used on a full-size cargo ship. . . .



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Wind-powered transatlantic car carrier could cut carbon emissions by 90%
Stephen Edelstein
STEPHEN EDELSTEIN
NOVEMBER 15, 2020
27 COMMENTS
Sailing ships were once the backbone of international commerce, and now a Swedish shipbuilder is trying to give sails a high-tech update in order to reduce emissions.

Oceanbird is a proposed a 35,000-ton, 650-foot, transoceanic car carrier, powered mostly by wind, that can reduce carbon emissions by a claimed 90% compared to a conventional ship. The ship was designed by Wallenius Marine, which is working with the Swedish government and several research institutions on the project, according to CNN. The partners hope to have a full-size ship sailing by 2024.

The ship's sails are no mere canvas. Five telescopic wing-shaped elements stand 260 feet above the deck. They can rotate 360 degrees without touching each other, or retract to 195 feet in rough weather, and to allow the ship to pass under bridges.

Vertical wings like these have been proposed before, but this is likely the first time they will be used on a full-size cargo ship.


Oceanbird wind-powered car carrier
Oceanbird wind-powered car carrier

Made from steel and composite materials, they will be the tallest sails ever constructed, according to Wallenius Marine. Consequently, engineers had to mount sensors on existing vessels to understand the behavior of wind at that height, Mikael Razola, a naval architect and research project manager for Oceanbird, said in an interview with CNN.

Oceanbird's claimed efficiency does come at the cost of speed. Wallenius Marine estimates a top speed of about 10 knots (equivalent to about 11 mph), compared to 17 knots for conventional car carriers. That means an Atlantic crossing will take 12 days—five more than with current ships. But it will still be able to haul 7,000 vehicles, according to the company, and customers—Volvo, for instance—will be able to claim a much lower carbon footprint, all said. . . .

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So Cal Edison receives eCascadia electric Class 8 truck; first utility in the US

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Southern California Edison (SCE) is the US’ first utility to receive and to test the eCascadia, the Freightliner Class 8 electric truck (earlier post).

The Class 8 truck will be used for a material transport test, which will include moving heavy utility equipment such as transformers, wire reels and switch gears from the Irwindale warehouse to SCE service centers and laydown yards. It has a range of up to 250 miles per charge while towing a 60,000-pound trailer. . . .

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Alstom to supply Italy’s first hydrogen trains

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Alstom will supply six hydrogen fuel cell trains, with the option for eight more, to FNM (Ferrovie Nord Milano), the main transport and mobility group in the Italian region of Lombardy, for a total amount of approximately €160 million. The first train delivery is expected within 36 months of the date of the order. . . .

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Renault Trucks delivers first of 20 electric trucks to Carlsberg Group

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. . . The D Wide Z.E. has a GVW of 26 t, with a wheelbase of 3,900 mm. The truck features two electric motors with a total rating of 370 kW (260 kW continuous output). Maximum torque of the electric motors is 850 N·m; maximum torque at the rear axle is 28 kN·m.

Equipped with a two-speed gear box, the truck offers Li-ion battery packs in sizes ranging from 200 kWh to 265 kWh. Real-world operating range is up to 180 km (112 miles).

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Solaris to supply two hydrogen buses to Transdev in Sweden

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. . . The vehicles will roll out onto the streets of the Swedish city of Sandviken in autumn 2021. . . .

The ordered Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses will be the first hydrogen buses to be operated by Swedish public transport. However, e-buses made by Solaris have wended their way through Sweden’s streets for more than 6 years. The partnership between Solaris and Swedish operators dates back to 2003. Since then, Solaris has supplied its customers in Sweden with more than 600 vehicles, the vast majority of which are low- or emission-free vehicles.

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Updated fuel-cell tech boosts Toyota semi project to 300 miles at full load

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. . . As it's today delivering the first of a group of 10 trucks from a project announced nearly two years ago, Toyota confirmed that it's working on next-generation prototypes, again based on a Kenworth T680 chassis.

Toyota says that with the same six hydrogen tanks and overall capacity as previous efforts—meaning a total of 60 kg of hydrogen compressed at 10,000 psi—it can now deliver 300 miles of range at a full load weight of 80,000 pounds.

The efficiency gains of these future trucks are clearly due in a large part to Toyota’s next-generation fuel-cell system, which Toyota hasn’t yet actually detailed. The new stack is also what powers the latest 2021 Toyota Mirai, which is due for first deliveries this month. Toyota will also use the stack in a commercial-truck project with Hino to hit an estimated range of 372 miles.

Our first prototype trucks proved that a fuel-cell electric powertrain was capable of hauling heavy cargo on a daily basis,” said Andrew Lund, the chief engineer at Toyota Motor North America R&D, in a release. “These new prototypes not only use production-intent hardware, they will also allow us to start looking beyond drayage into broader applications of this proven technology.”

To compare the level of progress, the current batch of trucks were also said to be able to cover up to 300 miles (already up from the first truck’s 200 miles), but Toyota made no claims that this was at peak payload.

The trucks being delivered make 670 horsepower and 1,325 pound-feet of torque through one large drive motor, with a 4-speed automatic transmission, and all the typical diesel-truck ancillaries like brake air compressors and heating and cooling are converted to electric. Two 153-hp fuel-cell stacks and a 12-kwh battery pack help handle the bursts up to cruising speed where that peak power is needed.

That effort, funded by California state agencies under a $41 million grant, follows up on an earlier Project Portal experiment with the Port of Los Angeles, and aimed to produce 10 such trucks to be modified for moving containerized freight to and from port. The first two, delivered on Thursday, will go to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, while Toyota Logistics Services and Southern Counties Express will each get one. Three will go to UPS, two will go to Total Transportation Services, and Toyota Logistics Services will get three.

Although these trucks have stacks from the 2020 Mirai, looking ahead Toyota aims to use more of these stacks from the 2021 Mirai in truck applications. . . .

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Ballard announces Van Hool follow-on order for 10 fuel cell modules for buses

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Ballard Power Systems announced a purchase order from Van Hool, a leading bus OEM and Ballard partner headquartered in Belgium, for 10 fuel cell modules to power Van Hool A330 buses to be deployed in Emmen, the Netherlands, under the JIVE2 funding program.

Ballard plans to deliver the 10 fuel cell modules in 2021. These will power 10 Van Hool A330 model Fuel Cell Electric Buses (FCEBs) that are planned for deployment with Groningen-Drenthe and Qbuzz, the public transport agency in Emmen, by 2022.

Shell has been contracted to build a hydrogen refueling station and is also working on development of a 10-megawatt plant for onsite production of green hydrogen. Emmen’s fuel cell bus fleet is expected to use 60-to-90 tons of green hydrogen annually.

Van Hool’s A330 FCEB is 12 meters (39.3 feet) long, carries up to 74 people and has a range of 350-to-400 kilometers (220-to-250 miles) between hydrogen refuelings. . . .

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Lightning eMotors introduces new generation 4 Lightning Electric Transit Class 3 Van; battery-electric and fuel cell electric variants

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. . . The Gen 4 powertrain, with new battery technology and up to 105 kWh of battery capacity, has up to 40% more range than the Gen 3’s 120-mile range as a battery-only vehicle, with fuel cell configurations extending the range to 250 miles (based on EPA-certified dynamometer testing) and new pricing that provides a compelling total cost of ownership versus a gasoline van . . . .

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Toyota Motor Europe strengthens strategic alliance with CaetanoBus and Finlog in fuel cell bus business

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. . . The enhanced strategic alliance with bus manufacturing and sales company CaetanoBus, and Finlog, a passenger car financial service company, aims to accelerate the spread of hydrogen mobility.

As more European countries and cities announce strategic policies to promote the decarbonization of mobility, it is expected that commercial vehicles—especially city buses—will be electrified rapidly. Therefore, TME will further expand its commercial zero-emission mobility by leveraging CaetanoBus’s long-standing bus business and recent strong efforts in the development and sales of zero-emission buses.

TME is already supplying the Toyota fuel cell technology to CaetanoBus and integrating it into their first hydrogen bus with a range of 400 km (249 miles).

Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), the main public transport operator in Barcelona’s metropolitan area, is acquiring eight 12m hydrogen vehicles from CaetanoBus. TMB is supported by the European JIVE 2 program, for the promotion of fuel cell vehicles, co-financed by the European Union.

The ordered H2.City Gold units, equipped with the Toyota fuel cells, are to be delivered by the end of 2021. . . .

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NACFE releases guidance report on hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks

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Wilhelmsen-led Topeka project awarded $25M to develop two liquid-hydrogen-fueled roro vessels

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The Wilhelmsen-led Topeka project, which aims to construct the first zero-emission hydrogen vessels, has been awarded NOK 219 million (US$25 million) by the Norwegian government-owned organization Enova. These funds will enable Wilhelmsen to further develop the technology and additional infrastructure required to support the maritime industry’s ambitions towards zero emission fuels. . . .

The Topeka project will build two ro-ro vessels servicing the short sea segment. The vessels will, among other tasks, move goods between offshore supply bases along the Norwegian west coast. In addition, the Topeka vessels will transport hydrogen to different filling stations where local ferries and other vessels as well as land transport will have hydrogen as a ready-to-use fuel.

Wilhelmsen aims to be an integral part of the development of hydrogen for marine applications in Norway and also internationally.

The vessels will be the first of their kind to enter commercial service. Providing a two-in-one solution, they will sail on a fixed schedule carrying both coastwise customer cargo and containerized liquid hydrogen (LH2) to the bunkering hubs. Norway’s west coast is dotted with bases serving the offshore industries, with base-to-base transport representing a heavy-duty transport route eminently suited to LH2. The bunkering hubs will in the future supply LH2-powered vessels including ferries and seagoing tonnage. . . .

Founded in 1861, the Wilhelmsen group operates the largest maritime network on the planet, with more than 2,200 locations worldwide. The group delivers products and services to more than half of the world’s merchant fleet, and also supplies crew and technical management to the biggest and most complex vessels currently at sea.

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Wärtsilä and Grieg to build green ammonia-fueled tanker

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The technology group Wärtsilä and Grieg Edge, the innovation hub of Norwegian shipping group Grieg Star, are jointly running a project to launch an ammonia-fueled tanker producing no greenhouse gas emissions by 2024. The MS Green Ammonia project is the result of a Nordic industrial collaboration group founded from the Zeeds (Zero Emissions Energy Distribution at Sea) initiative. Pilot-E, the Norwegian funding scheme, will support the project with a NOK 46.3-million (€4.4-million) grant. . . .

The partners plan to have MS Green Ammonia distribute green ammonia from a planned factory in Berlevåg, Norway to various locations and end-users along the coast. The eventual design, size, and volume of the vessel will be dependent on the market and end-user interest. However, the project has already established Letters of Intent (LOI) with several heavyweight industrial partners. . . .

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Siemens Energy to provide electric drive train and automation to Cochin Shipyard for 23 ferries; LTO batteries from Echandia

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India’s first greenfield and largest
shipbuilding yard, Cochin Shipyard Ltd., has selected Siemens Energy to provide advanced marine solutions for the country’s first fleet of 23 boats to be equipped with electric propulsion drive trains with energy storage integration (batteries) and vessel automation technologies.

Cochin Shipyard Ltd. is building the fleet to strengthen Kochi Metro Rail Ltd.’s (KMRL) infrastructure and its connectivity to islands around Kochi / Ernakulam. Kochi is a major port city on the south-west coast of India.

Kochi’s water metro will eventually comprise 78 ferries running on 16 identified routes, connecting 10 islands via 38 different terminals. The project is the first water transport system in India to integrate with the metro and is widely expected to revolutionize water transportation and support the country’s efforts to reduce its emissions and carbon footprint. . . .

Siemens has selected Echandia’s LTO batteries for the project. Echandia LTO battery systems are based on Toshiba’s LTO (Lithium-Titanium-Oxide) cells. . . .

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CP announces hydrogen-powered line-haul locomotive pilot project

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Canadian Pacific plans to develop North America’s first hydrogen-powered line-haul locomotive. CP’s Hydrogen Locomotive Program will retrofit a line-haul locomotive with hydrogen fuel cells and battery technology to drive the locomotive’s electric traction motors.

Line-haul locomotives move freight and passenger cars between yards and terminals. These are high-powered units—total rated power of more than 1,715 kW (2,300 horsepower) in Canada—that travel long distances and spend much of their operating time at high power levels.

Once operational, CP will conduct rail service trials and qualification testing to evaluate the technology’s readiness for the freight-rail sector. . . .

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ZeroAvia secures £12.3M UK Government grant to bring 19-seat hydrogen-electric aviation powertrain to market; HyFlyer II

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ZeroAvia . . . secured £12.3 million (US$16.6 million) in UK Government funding through the ATI Program to deliver a breakthrough 19-seat hydrogen-electric powered aircraft that is market-ready by 2023: the HyFlyer II project.

To accomplish this, ZeroAvia will collaborate with two partners, the European Marine Energy Centre and Aeristech. The HyFlyer II project will conclude with another world’s first hydrogen-electric flight by ZeroAvia in a 19-seat aircraft, with a 350-mile flight, in early 2023. . . .

The grant award follows ZeroAvia’s world first flight of a commercial-grade hydrogen-electric aircraft at Cranfield in September (earlier post), utilizing a smaller version of ZeroAvia’s hydrogen fuel cell powertrain in a 6-seat Piper Malibu M350. . . .

Typically, up to 19-seat aircraft such as the Cessna 208 Caravan and the Viking Air DHC-6 Twin Otter are used in regional aviation and cargo transport worldwide. ZeroAvia’s 600kW hydrogen-electric powertrain is platform-agnostic and will begin to make zero carbon flight over meaningful distances a reality for passengers. . . .

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Newbuild bulk carrier to be equipped with 5 Norsepower tiltable rotor sails

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Norsepower Oy Ltd., the leading global provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems, announced its first newbuild order—the installation of a record five tilting Rotor Sails (earlier post) on board a large bulk carrier.

The agreement marks the first installation of Norsepower’s innovative Rotor Sails on a bulk carrier, demonstrating the adaptability of the technology to reduce fuel consumption, fuel costs and reduce emissions across a variety of vessel types.

The Maersk Pelican tanker was equipped with two 30x5 Rotor Sails in 2018. Independent measurements conducted by Lloyd’s Register confirmed savings of 8.2% during the first year of operation. Two Rotor Sails 30x5 are expected to reduce average fuel consumption on typical global shipping routes by 7-10%.

Preparations are currently taking place with the installation onboard, the owner of which preferring to remain anonymous at this stage, scheduled for 2021. . . .

Harnessing wind to generate thrust and reduce both fuel consumption and emissions has been demonstrated as a viable and current option, with achievable, and typical, savings of 5 – 20%, depending on the wind conditions and vessel route. Recent case studies demonstrate savings of up to 25%. . . .

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