The hydrogen engine is coming – KEYOU gives first pioneer truck to logistics group EP-Trans
| CO2-free driving, with the smooth engine running, ample power, long range, and short refueling times – Munich-based hydrogen specialist KEYOU makes it possible. Not with an e-truck or a fuel cell-powered vehicle, but with a truck with a hydrogen engine classified as”zero emission” according to the EU standard. The first customer, EPGroup from Regensburg, has signed the contract for the first two 18-ton trucks at the “Transport Logistic” trade show. |
KEYOU is on the home stretch: Following the world premiere of the 18-ton truck and the 12-meter city bus powered by hydrogen engines at the IAA Transportation 2022, customer operations are set to begin soon. The prototype truck, based on the Mercedes Benz Actros chassis, is currently making its daily rounds at the German Armed Forces’ Neubiberg test site. The engine calibration on the 18-ton truck has been completed, and the integration and coordination of the various systems is almost finished. TÜV Süd has already issued individual vehicle permits, and road operation is now imminent. The first eight trucks will be integrated into everyday operations at pioneer customers in the fourth quarter of this year. These trucks will be converted to hydrogen combustion and equipped with CO2-free KEYOU-inside engine. One of the first customers is the Regensburg-based freight forwarder EP-Trans, which uses around 300 trucks to transport goods from A to B throughout Europe for well-known end customers. Managing director Markus Pumpf is convinced by the technology: “Electric trucks are out of the question for our purposes. On the test track, we were very positively surprised by the performance of the 18-ton truck, so we decided quite early on to order two vehicles.” Georg Ehrlinger, also on the Management Board of EP-Trans, adds: “The EP Group is committed to sustainability and is focusing on hydrogen technologies. Together with KEYOU, we are, therefore, starting a project in which we will include two hydrogen-powered trucks in our vehicle fleet to evaluate the permanent use of hydrogen technology for our requirements in a test phase. In doing so, we are taking a pioneering role in Germany.” For freight forwarders and logistics companies, the hydrogen engine also pays off financially: one kilogram of hydrogen offers the same energy content as 3.3 liters of diesel. However, the alternative drive and the classification as zero-emission vehicles eliminate a TCO cost driver – the KEYOU vehicles are toll-free. The shift to hydrogen will become even more attractive on January 1, 2024, when the so-called CO2 toll will be introduced in Germany, with additional costs for diesel trucks of 200 euros per ton of CO2. KEYOU’s next step will be to convert a heavy-duty truck with a 13-l engine to hydrogen, as this is currently the area with the highest demand, according to the Munich-based hydrogen specialist. |
Original article HERE
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