A UK truck manufacturer set up by a former Israeli naval officer will start selling electric vehicles that use hydrogen to expand their range, paving the way for large-scale use of gas in transportation.
Tevva’s 7.5-ton trucks will run on batteries for the first hundred miles, use electricity and run cheaper than a diesel engine.
It will then reach more than 200 miles from a hydrogen-powered fuel cell system, which can kick in when the battery is empty. This means truck drivers do not have to stop for a charge, and most offer a full day’s drive.
Asher Bennett, founder of Tevva, a former submarine officer in the Israeli navy, said the range extenders mean his trucks can do the job of a diesel vehicle without the worry of a flat battery.
“All trucks are meant to go out for a full day’s work, which is different from the average car, which is used for example one and a half hours a day,” he said. “You need a lot more energy on that truck so that the operators are not worried about using it on the longer regions.
Hills, brakes, driving style and weather can all reduce the range for an electric truck, just as they can reduce miles per liter for a diesel model. Having a backup of a reserve hydrogen removes the risk of the trucks sitting on the side of the road.
Hydrogen, which burns to produce only water, has long been used to power buses, backed by state funds. But its cost has slowed the acceptance of road transport.
Currently, the price of hydrogen travel, which is purely gas-powered, costs as much as a pound per mile in Tevva’s truck.