Zepp.solutions hydrogen-powered truck Europa to launch in Q4 2023
08 February 2023
Zepp.solutions has unveiled more specifications and the name for their new hydrogen fuel cell truck: Europa. The zero-emission vehicle is designed as an answer to the most deployed mode of heavy-duty road transportation, the diesel 4x2 tractor unit.
Europa features a long range, sleeper cab, quick refueling and the ability to pull an ISO trailer (13.6 m / 45 ft container); it offers the same ease of operation and payload capacity as a diesel equivalent.
The first vehicles will enter operation in Q4 2023 as 4×2 tractor units with 350 bar hydrogen storage systems. With more than 50 kg of usable hydrogen on board, the vehicles will have a range of more than 700 km. In late 2024, the truck will also become available in a 700-bar hydrogen storage version (>80 kg usable H2), pushing the range to more than 1000 km on a single filling.
The usable electrical energy content of the hydrogen after conversion is more than 900 kWh and 1450 kWh for the 350 and 700 bar versions respectively.
Infrastructure for 700 bar refuelling of heavy-duty vehicles still needs to be improved in Europe, making the 350 bar version the vehicle of choice for the first customers and interested parties.
The hydrogen-electric powertrain can also be fitted to other vehicle configurations such as box trucks, other axle configurations and cabs. The heart of the powertrain is a single zepp X150 fuel cell module, with the option to integrate further stacks and/or modules for increased efficiency and range.
The X150 fuel cell module and zepp’s hydrogen storage systems are also available as standalone units for integration into other vehicles or applications.
The Europa truck design is optimized for the European transport sector with strict EU regulations guiding its development. In most EU countries, the maximum gross combined vehicle weight is 40 metric tons. EU legislation increases this weight limit to 42 metric tons for zero-emission N3 articulated vehicles. Because the Europa tractor weighs less than 2 tons more than its diesel counterpart, it will offer a similar payload capacity.
European customers are encouraged to switch to zero-emission transportation through various financial incentives and subsidies. One such program is the Dutch AanZET subsidy, which could cover up to 37% of the purchase price of new zero-emission trucks. The AanZET subsidy programme works on a first come first serve basis and opens on 4 April.
More specifications and the final design will be unveiled along with the delivery of the first two trucks to launching customers BCTN Group and VOS Transport Group in Q4 of this year.
To my way of thinking, this helps move us on from the quasi religious wars of batteries vs fuel cells.
Since this can move the same load as a diesel, after the EUs weight exemption, and even with 350 bar, moving up to 700 bar, has really decent range before refuelling whilst also being much better able to cope with mountainous terrain, and hot or particularly cold weather, and of course really rapid refuelling, this can be a drop in replacement for diesel.
None of that is to say that battery electric should not be used where it can do the job, as its own virtues of better fuel economy etc are real enough.
Suiting the solution to the application is much more real world than Buckminster Fuller-esque attempts to argue from the Universe down, which provides such comfort to megalomaniacs and the unrealistic.
Where batteries can do the job, use them.
Where a drop in replacement for diesel is needed, without the pollution and GHG, then fuel cells do the job.
Posted by: Davemart | 08 February 2023 at 02:12 AM
Maybe this truck will find favor in Europe but the range with 350 bar system is not better than that for the Tesla Semi. They both have approximately the same electric enregy storage - ~900 kWhr. And while the production of the Tesla Semi is far later than had been originally promised, apparently the first production versions were delivered to Pepsico Q4 2022 while the first 2 trucks of this design are supposed to be delivered Q4 2023.
Posted by: sd | 08 February 2023 at 08:15 PM
The key to electric ground transportation is the traction battery; and, especially when there is an expectation that batteries will have 4 x the density within the next 5 years.
I like Hydrogen use in the aircraft and sea ship transportation sectors because they make an immediate impact on reducing gross amounts of GHGs and offer the flexibility liquid fuels provide.
Direct combustion from H2 to H2O would be a good first step if possible.
Posted by: Lad | 08 February 2023 at 09:14 PM
@sd:
Until Tesla have had their trucks in service on the road for some years, I accord them the credence for performance merited by their 'autodrive system', where folk forked out thousands for a system which demands superhuman capacity to grab control when their system gives up, after being lulled by the bits it can do.
They now have the great news that after spending thousands which Tesla has trousered, they can't get the upgrade to the perhaps marginally less murdrous newer iteration.
That is aside from the issue of the massive load imposed on the local grid if a long range truck has to fast charge in the course of being long range.
Battery trucks, as I have noted, are fine where they are on regular runs, where they can return to base.
What they are not is any sort of replacement for the flexibility of diesel for different journeys and conditions.
FCEVs are.
Posted by: Davemart | 09 February 2023 at 01:02 AM
@Lad:
You can't bank expectations.
Any technology looks great if you assume massive improvement for it, and statis for competing tech.
Using similar assumptions, then HT fuel cells using manganese hydride Kubas -1 would still hammer batteries, aside from the fact that you still have the issue of the loads imposed by fast charge if you need to do so away from base.
I'm all for using batteries where practical and convenient, although folk here do not seem to think so.
It is the assumption that any difficulties will vanish, so that regardless of present performance they are stuck in everywhere regardless of cost that I think ill advised.
Posted by: Davemart | 09 February 2023 at 01:09 AM
@Lad,
don't put you expectations that high. 4 times the density is physically reachable, but ver far from our current technology.
You need structures designed at nano scale. These are cool for lab demos, but too expensive for production.
Posted by: peskanov | 09 February 2023 at 12:22 PM
Hi peskanov!
Do your comments apply to this one, in the article below this?
https://www.greencarcongress.com/2023/02/20230208-iit.html
Contrary to what some think, I would be very happy to see a 'super battery', but its advent has disappointed me more often and for longer than most marriages! ;-)
Posted by: Davemart | 09 February 2023 at 01:06 PM
@Davemart,
I am no great fan of Elon Musk and the Tesla Semi was way over hyped and over promised for a long time. The Tesla Autopilot has also been vastly over hyped and the New York Times had a lengthy article on this subject titled "Elon Musk’s Appetite for Destruction". See: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/17/magazine/tesla-autopilot-self-driving-elon-musk.html?searchResultPosition=2
Tesla's stock is also way over priced and over hyped.
However, apparently several Tesla Semis have been delivered to an end user and I noticed that the energy and range specs were about the same as the Europa Fuel Cell Truck If they can deliver these in volume, they will probably have a much larger market than a fuel cell truck as the operating cost will less than half that of a fuel cell vehicle. Yes, rapid charging a number of these vehicles will put quite the load on the local grid but still they require less overall energy compared to hydrogen. I might also note that Engineering with Rosie had a English "expert" on a few months ago who did not seem to think that fuel cells would have much of a market. He seemed to think that using a catenary system on selected highways would be more promising but I am not so sure I would bet on this either.
I do think that we will have Lithium Sulfur batteries with about 900 Whr/kg from Lyten or others in the next few years but they are not commercially available yet so until they are??? Lithium air will do even better except for one small (or maybe not so small) problem that no one seems to mention. When you burn gas or diesel or even hydrogen, the weight of the fuel decreases while with a battery , the weight stays the same. With lithium air, as energy is generated the battery gains a drastic amount of weight. The reaction is 2 Lithium + 1 Oxygen > Li2O. Lithium has an atomic weight of 3 while Oxygen has an atomic weight of 16 so if you start with a thousand kg of Lithium, you end up with 3667
Posted by: sd | 09 February 2023 at 08:25 PM
My keyboard on my computer froze up and would not put out some characters.
Anyway, with a lithium air battery that starts with 1000 lbs of lithium, you end up with 3667 lbs of lithium oxide (6 + 16 = 22 and 22/6 = 3.667). Possible for trucks but a real problem for aircraft.
Posted by: sd | 10 February 2023 at 08:12 AM
Hey sd
Great stuff on lithium air - that had not occurred to me!
As for Tesla and Musk hype, it is a rather different matter hyping car buyers, to fleet managers.
TMC in their far less ambitious short range fuel cell truck during development were repeatedly told by fleet managers that they would want to see extended trials in actual service over a considerable amount of time before they would be considered for substantial orders, and that is for Toyota, where reliability is pretty much a religion, and through Hyace have decades of experience in the heavy truck market!
I think for most fleet managers it will take a lot more than Musks' usual BS to sell them on large orders.
Particularly since fast charging will not only present substantial issues for the local grids, but also to the longevity of the battery pack.
I have nothing against batteries for trucks, but the notion that they are presently ready to be used in contexts where they can't return to base for slow charging, but can do long range with fast charging, seems at best premature.
And I am certainly not about to take 'Honest Elon's' word for it.
Posted by: Davemart | 10 February 2023 at 09:07 AM