If there is one thing human beings know best, it’s how to get better on a rather consistent basis. This particular ability has helped us big time in achieving some significant milestones over the years. Now, while each of the stated milestones has brought a different value to our lives, we are still yet to get as much of it as we got from technology. You see, with technology running the show, our entire spectrum suddenly had a common centrepiece, something that eventually helped us in realizing a more collective brand of growth. The stated reality would shake things up beyond recognition, and by doing so, it will make us significantly smarter than ever before. Nevertheless, despite all the crazy progression, the creation will continue to improve us under one capacity or the other. This fact has been wholly evident across some recent developments, and Volvo’s latest initiative should only bolster it moving forward.
Electric truck manufacturer, Volvo has officially announced that it is planning to launch a new segment in hydrogen fuel cell powertrains. According to certain reports, these fuel cells will be manufactured by CallCentric, which is basically a joint venture between Volvo and Daimler Truck Automotive Group. Furthermore, assuming Volvo’s estimations end up being correct, the stated vehicle will have a range of around 1,000 kilometers, while requiring only 15 minutes for refueling. Interestingly enough, hydrogen fuel cells’ technology can prove itself to be immensely useful in areas where battery charging infrastructure is limited.
With its latest foray, Volvo joins the likes of Toyota, Hyundai, Nikola, and various other companies that have already touched upon this idea. However, even though some industry leaders have been on this block for a while now, the overall footprint of hydrogen-power trucking is still very small. To give some context, US, at the moment, has less than 60 refueling stations for such vehicles and literally all of them are located just in California.
“We expect the supply of green hydrogen to increase significantly during the next couple of years, since many industries will depend on it to reduce CO2. However, we cannot wait to decarbonize transport, we are already running late. So, my clear message to all transport companies is to start the journey today with battery electric, biogas and the other options available. The fuel cell trucks will then be an important complement for longer and heavier transports in a few years from now,” said Roger Alm, President of Volvo Truck.
Talk about Volvo’s approach to launching the said product, the company is expected to kickstart customer pilot over the next few years, and as for the official launch, it is penciled in around the latter half of this decade.