Two years after announcing the “H2 Central Valley Express” project, Symbio unveiled a hydrogen-fueled, regional-haul Class 8 truck developed and integrated by Symbio in California and outfitted with next-generation EV specific tires that offer improved fuel economy and reduced wear from Michelin.

The Symbio “H2 Central Valley Express” project aims to develop and demonstrate a hydrogen fuel cell truck that matches the performance of a 15-liter diesel truck providing a zero-emission solution for demanding regional-haul trucking operations.

Symbio designed, developed, and integrated a heavy-duty long-haul-truck-ready fuel cell powertrain, powered by Symbio’s fuel cell technology, into a Freightliner Cascadia class-8 tractor. The diesel engine has been replaced with Symbio’s 400 kW StackPack fuel cell system consisting of four packaged sub-systems of Symbio’s proprietary stack technology proven in the field with more than 5 million miles (8 million km) on-road experience.

The heavy duty 400kW power system’s control strategy is optimized to deliver superior energy balance and power, meeting the functional requirements of the diesel truck. With a 70kg hydrogen tank onboard, the fuel cell truck is capable of more than 450 miles per fueling event.revp

Michelin (co-shareholder of Symbio) provides next generation low-rolling resistance tires that combine safety, longevity and improved fuel efficiency, thus enhancing the total cost of ownership of the vehicle. The aim of this demonstration is to test the low-rolling resistance tires on a zero-emission truck.

These tires are designed to handle higher torque loads under acceleration, which are different from those of internal combustion engine trucks. It is expected that the data collected will help determine the improvements needed to develop a tire applicable for the needs of hydrogen trucks.

Project partners include GTI Energy, which led the grant administration and program management, provided technical insight, and performed data collection and analysis. Other partners include Total Transportation Services (TTSI), the fleet operator, which will demonstrate the truck in revenue service; and Frontier Energy, which will conduct community outreach. Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) and Utilization Technology Development (UTD), a global collaboration of leading gas utilities, provide funding support.

Expected to hit the road by the end of 2024, the truck will run for 12 months on a 400-mile (650 km) route between the Inland Empire and Northern San Joaquin Valley. The demonstration route consists of four distinct and challenging operating sections (120-mile L.A. Urban, Grapevine climb, Grapevine descent and 235-mile Central Valley high-speed). The vehicle will be storing 66.8kg of 700-bar hydrogen onboard with 2 intra-route fueling events in Central Valley. This hydrogen truck project strives to support California’s goal to achieve economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2045.

Symbio, a jointly owned subsidiary of Forvia, Michelin, and Stellantis, is a global hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer with more than 30 years of combined experience in hydrogen fuel cell system development and vehicle integration.

Symbio has successfully entered the hydrogen-powered market in Europe as strategic technology partner of Stellantis. Stellantis, one of the world’s leading automakers, has been first to market a zero-emission hydrogen solution for light commercial vehicles.

The H2 Central Valley Express demonstrator truck will be presented for the first time as a static display at ACT EXPO 2024, 20-23 May.