The Chinese group FAW took advantage of the recent CCVS (China Commercial Vehicle Show) to present its first liquid hydrogen truck. It claims a range of 1,200 km.

That’s a greater range than the Daimler Truck prototype. According to the China Hydrogen Bulletin, the truck is equipped with a 300 kW fuel cell. And it consumes 7 kg of hydrogen per 100 km (which means that it carries 84 kg of hydrogen). The FAW Group – which has a truck division – joins Great Wall and Foton Auto, which have already unveiled liquid hydrogen vehicles. These two manufacturers have already had the opportunity to communicate on the subject. This was the case last April for Great Wall, and in 2022 for Foton. These manufacturers store 80 kg of liquid hydrogen in their trucks and claim a range of 1,000 km.

At this stage, these HGVs (Heavy Goods Vehicles) are still in the testing phase. Storing in liquid form poses problems. Firstly, hydrogen needs to remain at the temperature of -253 degrees. Secondly, the boil off phenomenon intensifies evaporation if the vehicle is immobilised for long periods.

The FAW Group is regarded in China as the cradle of the automotive industry. In 2021, its subsidiary FAW Jiefang published a strategy on alternative energies including hydrogen (with fuel cells and internal combustion engines).

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Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King