Green Hydrogen To Chase Diesel From Waste Hauling Business

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All eyes are on California this week, where a first-of-its-kind hydrogen fuel cell garbage truck is touring the streets. So, what’s the big deal about a single garbage truck? Instead of blasting local neighborhoods with diesel fumes, it runs on electricity generated by green hydrogen in the fuel cell, setting a new standard for thousands of heavy duty work trucks across the US.

Green Hydrogen For Fuel Cell Electric Trucks

For those of you new to the topic, fuel cell vehicles run on electricity.  They emit no tailpipe pollutants, just like their battery-powered cousins. The only emission is water vapor, produced when hydrogen encounters oxygen within the fuel cell.

The primary difference is that batteries can require a relatively long time to recharge, while fuel cells can get a fresh dose of hydrogen in about the same time it takes to fill a conventional gas tank. To gild the decarbonization lily, green hydrogen from renewable resources is beginning to replace fossil-sourced hydrogen extracted from natural gas or coal.

The green hydrogen angle has posed a chicken-and-egg dilemma for fuel cell vehicle advocates. With very few fuel cells on the road, the incentive to produce green hydrogen and construct fueling stations is very low. Nevertheless, California has been supporting the green hydrogen and fuel cell vehicle industries with government subsidies, and now the US Department of Energy has stepped in, tapping the state for additional funding through the new Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program.

Green Hydrogen Or Not, Electric Trucks Need More Power

Green hydrogen aside, a debate over the relative merits of fuel cell EVs compared to battery EVs has been raging in some quarters, with fuel cell stakeholders beginning to cede some ground in the passenger car space. For sedans and other small cars, extreme fast EV charging and EV battery swapping are erasing the timeline advantage of fuel cells. Besides that, the convenience of home or workplace battery charging can easily trump the hassle of driving to a filling station for fuel, depending on the driver’s unique circumstances.

In contrast, garbage trucks and other heavy-duty applications are still wide open for exploration by both fuel cell and battery stakeholders. Bigger, more powerful batteries need more time to charge, providing an opening for fuel cells. In particular, refuse collectors and other work trucks need extra power for both propulsion and for operating on-board equipment.

The power needs can be especially complex in fleets that pull extra duty as a cost-saving measure. In a recent trial in New York City, for example, a battery-electric garbage truck got an enthusiastic thumbs-up for summertime performance. However, it fell flat when tasked with plowing snow in the winter.

Fuel Cell Garbage Trucks: One Down, 140,000 To Go

The California fuel cell truck trial got under way in August, pairing fuel cell specialist Hyzon Motors, refuse truck maker New Way Trucks (a division of McLaughlin Family Companies), and the sustainability focused, employee-owned waste collection firm Recology in the effort. Hyzon previously unveiled its Class 8, 200-kilowatt fuel cell EV tractor-trailer trial program in July, taking aim at the market for decarbonizing the estimated 140,000 diesel garbage trucks in the US.

“Hyzon’s high-performance hydrogen fuel cell systems have been shown to provide consistent power over an expected range of at least 125 miles, including at least 1,200 cart lifts, along with trips to transfer stations,” Hyzon explained in a press statement.

After a two-week trial in San Francisco, the plan is for Recology to put the truck through its paces in other Bay Area cities. Meanwhile, Hyzon and New Way are calendaring additional trials in Canada and other parts of California this year.

As for whether or not the new fuel cell truck will perform as expected, stay tuned for an update. If all goes according to plan the Bay Area trials will confirm that zero emission fuel cell trucks can do the same tasks, or better, than either conventional diesel-powered trucks or battery-powered electric trucks.

“All three companies look to show that the New Way-Hyzon hydrogen fuel-cell refuse collection vehicle is overcoming some of the inherent challenges identified with other zero-emission technologies, such as range issues, fluctuations in operating temperatures, and payload limitations,” Hyzon explains.

Hyzon points out that its fuel cell truck has already had a successful test run in Australia, which explains why they anticipate good results from the US trials.

Where Will All The Green Hydrogen Come From?

Circling back around to that thing about the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program, California won a piece of the $7 billion funding pie for an application submitted by ARCHES, the newly formed Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems. ARCHES showcased the new
fuel cell truck at a publicity event on August 30, celebrating a total investment of $12.6 billion to launch the California hub. Federal funds from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law account for $1.2 billion, with private investors and other government funders chipping in another $11.4 billion.

With all those dollars in hand ARCHES plans to establish 60 fueling stations for vehicles in classes 6-8 along with 165 miles of open-access pipelines for green hydrogen producers. The ultimate goal is to produce and distribute enough green hydrogen for the new Hyzon-New Way fuel cell truck and 4,999 more trucks, to boot.

In addition to de-dieseling 5,000 trucks, ARCHES is also targeting 1,000 diesel buses, a sprawling collection of cargo equipment at three major seaports, and a number of stationary fuel cells. ARCHES has enlisted more than a dozen regional transit agencies to coordinate fuel cell bus acquisition with the availability of green hydrogen and fueling stations.

The ARCHES plan also covers two natural gas power plants, in Los Angeles and Lodi, which will gradually introduce green hydrogen in stages to reduce carbon emissions and other pollutants. Another part of the plan involves building on the launch of the nation’s first fuel cell ferry with a green hydrogen makeover for a 140-foot marine research vessel. The decarbonized ship will serve as a model for other smaller watercraft to follow.

All of that activity will gobble up hundreds of metric tons of hydrogen every day. That’s going to be a tough row to hoe, but ARCHES anticipates using proven technology — water electrolysis — to carry most of the load with an assist from the state’s copious renewable energy resources. Biomass projects will fill in the remaining gaps.

Keep an eye out for new developments as the world’s largest sub-national economy kicks the US green hydrogen industry into high gear. A new hydrogen fuel cell passenger train is already in the works. If you’ve spotted anything else, drop us a note in the comment thread.

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Photo (cropped): Green hydrogen will decarbonize heavy duty trucks in the US, as demonstrated by a first-of-its-kind fuel cell electric garbage truck trial in the US and Canada (courtesy of Hyzon via prnewswire.com).