The first-ever hydrogen truck designed in Switzerland has taken to roads around Geneva in its inaugural journey. The vehicle is the first hydrogen-powered truck to be able to carry 40 tonnes of cargo and it is hoped that the design will replace petrol and diesel trucks in the near future.
The GoH! (Generation of Hydrogen) truck was designed by five Swiss and international companies, including the supermarket Migros who hope to use the truck to supply their stores. It was presented at the European Conference on Energy Transition in Geneva and was designed entirely in Switzerland.
Hydrogen-powered trucks use hydrogen as a fuel source instead of petrol or diesel, creating nothing but water vapour as opposed to the harmful greenhouse gasses produced by regular vehicles. To generate the hydrogen, 20 to 30 million francs of investment have been promised to create a new facility in Switzerland that will produce hydrogen through the incineration of waste.
"This is the first time that this technology has been used for a 40 tonne," noted Jean-Luc Favre, president of the Nomads Foundation - one of the sponsors of the truck. Despite having 500 horsepower and the ability to carry a record amount of weight, the organisers still expect a range of around 600 kilometres - more than enough for drivers to cross the whole of Switzerland.
“Its selling price will be two to three times higher than that of a diesel truck. But this additional cost will be offset by the lower price of hydrogen, which is known and stable,” explained Jean-François Weber, general manager of GreenGT. The prototype will now be tested thoroughly, and it is hoped that the design will either replace petrol and diesel trucks or be a benchmark for better hydrogen trucks in the future.
Here's what the truck looked like back in its concept phase: