Transition in Logistics: The Gradual Adoption of Hydrogen-Fueled and Electric Trucks
In the race to reduce transportation emissions, logistics operators are making strategic decisions between battery-electric trucks (BETs) and hydrogen fuel cell trucks (FCETs), considering each technology's strengths for specific freight use cases while taking infrastructure availability and cost constraints into account.
Battery-electric trucks are increasingly being deployed in urban and regional delivery routes where shorter distances and frequent stops align with the vehicles' range. Their advantages include lower operating costs and quiet, zero-emission operation. However, they face challenges with charging time and weight limitations due to large battery packs.
On the other hand, hydrogen fuel cell trucks are better suited for long-haul and just-in-time supply chains that require longer range and fast refueling. These trucks maintain payload capacity better because hydrogen tanks are lighter than batteries for equivalent energy storage. However, hydrogen refueling infrastructure is still growing and more limited geographically, which constrains their deployment.
Rather than choosing one technology exclusively, logistics providers are making practical, route-specific decisions. They deploy BETs where urban routes and infrastructure suit them, and FCETs where long range and fast refuel times are critical, building out the necessary fueling and charging networks accordingly. This measured, use-case-driven approach is more pragmatic than an ideological preference for one zero-emission technology over the other.
Initiatives like the “Run on Less” project continue to collect real-world data on multiple powertrains, signaling the industry’s commitment to understanding the operational efficiency and total cost of ownership trade-offs between diesel, renewable fuels, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cells in Class 8 long-haul trucking.
Hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks are best suited for long-haul freight, time-sensitive operations, and payload-intensive routes. Refueling a hydrogen truck takes 10 to 15 minutes, comparable to diesel. However, technology maturity for hydrogen fuel cell trucks is still evolving.
Electric trucks pull power from the grid, and their environmental impact depends on how the grid is powered. Heavy-duty trucking significantly contributes to transportation emissions, making the shift towards zero-emission technologies crucial.
In summary, logistics operators pragmatically weigh route profiles, payload requirements, fueling/charging infrastructure maturity, and total cost to decide between battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell trucks, often deploying both technologies selectively within their fleets to meet emissions goals without compromising freight reliability or economics. The future of zero-emission trucking won't be about choosing one solution over another, but about deploying the right tool for the right job and building the support systems needed to make those tools viable at scale.
[1] Run on Less [2] Benore [3] North Carolina State University [4] California Air Resources Board
[1] The front-runner for long-haul freight, just-in-time supply chains, and payload-intensive routes appears to be hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks, whose refueling time resembles that of diesel vehicles and offers faster refueling over battery-electric trucks.
[2] Conversely, battery-electric trucks serve urban and regional delivery routes more effectively due to their ability to navigate shorter distances and frequently stop, while also providing lower operating costs and zero-emission operation.
[3] To ensure a sustainable lifestyle, both technology advancements and the development of infrastructure in data-and-cloud-computing will play an essential role in optimizing logistics and transportation, thus contributing to sustainable living and home-and-garden applications.
[4] As the focus on reducing transportation emissions intensifies, partnerships between research institutions, such as North Carolina State University, and government bodies like the California Air Resources Board, are crucial to driving innovation and analyzing the trade-offs in technology choices, ultimately settling the debate on which zero-emission technology will best suit specific use cases in the future.
