UPS Launches World’s First Hydrogen Delivery Truck
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UPS is putting two hydrogen-powered delivery vans on the road, the latest sign that fuel-cell technology is moving out of the lab and onto the road. The two Class 6 vans – developed, in part, as part of a program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy – will be joined by 15 other hydrogen-powered vans by the end of 2018. UPS has been tinkering with fuel-cell technology for more than a decade as part of a broader push into energy alternatives that could reduce both the emissions and fuel costs for its vast fleet of delivery vehicles.
UPS unveiled its first mid-size hydrogen delivery truck at the 2017 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach in early-May. From the outside, it appears to be one of the company’s conventional vans. But under the hood, the classic diesel engine has been replaced by a hydrogen fuel-cell stack and electric motors.
Fuel-cell technology was originally developed in the mid-19th Century, but it only began seeing a real-world application with the Apollo moon missions. More recently, a number of automotive manufacturers have been exploring the technology’s potential to replace the internal combustion engine.
Fuel cells combine hydrogen gas – usually stored in compressed form – with oxygen from the air, generating a flow of current that can be used to run the same electric motors found in battery cars and trucks. The only direct exhaust is water vapor.
The UPS vans will be powered by a 31-kiowatt fuel-cell stack, with twin 5-kilogram compressed hydrogen storage tanks. The stack will be paired with a lithium-ion battery pack that will improve throttle responsiveness and add a boost of power during hard acceleration.
UPS first began exploring the possibilities for hydrogen power in 2004 as part of a broader program promoting the use of alternatives fuels and power sources. The two new vans were developed as part of a $10 million Department of Energy project launched in 2014 under the Obama Administration. It is uncertain whether that and other clean energy alternatives will continue under the current White House.
Initially, the delivery company plans to operate one van in the Orange County area, the other near the California capital of Sacramento, both areas where they will be running near public hydrogen filling stations. Eventually, UPS said it could set up its own hydrogen pumps if the experiment proves viable.
UPS unveiled its first mid-size hydrogen delivery truck at the 2017 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach in early-May. From the outside, it appears to be one of the company’s conventional vans. But under the hood, the classic diesel engine has been replaced by a hydrogen fuel-cell stack and electric motors.
Fuel-cell technology was originally developed in the mid-19th Century, but it only began seeing a real-world application with the Apollo moon missions. More recently, a number of automotive manufacturers have been exploring the technology’s potential to replace the internal combustion engine.
Fuel cells combine hydrogen gas – usually stored in compressed form – with oxygen from the air, generating a flow of current that can be used to run the same electric motors found in battery cars and trucks. The only direct exhaust is water vapor.
The UPS vans will be powered by a 31-kiowatt fuel-cell stack, with twin 5-kilogram compressed hydrogen storage tanks. The stack will be paired with a lithium-ion battery pack that will improve throttle responsiveness and add a boost of power during hard acceleration.
UPS first began exploring the possibilities for hydrogen power in 2004 as part of a broader program promoting the use of alternatives fuels and power sources. The two new vans were developed as part of a $10 million Department of Energy project launched in 2014 under the Obama Administration. It is uncertain whether that and other clean energy alternatives will continue under the current White House.
Initially, the delivery company plans to operate one van in the Orange County area, the other near the California capital of Sacramento, both areas where they will be running near public hydrogen filling stations. Eventually, UPS said it could set up its own hydrogen pumps if the experiment proves viable.
