Hydrogen the way forward for NZ’s trucking industry, says Hyundai

Hydrogen is the answer to New Zealand’s future trucking dilemma, says Hyundai New Zealand CEO Andy Sinclair.

Sinclair says the constant demand for trucks moving across the country makes electricity an inadequate substitute for diesel.

“Trucks need reliability,” he wrote in a Newsroom column. “They need to travel routes and by schedules consistently. 

“The variety of road and weather conditions in New Zealand can vary battery performance beyond what is tolerable or practical for running freight.”

Thus, Sinclair sees hydrogen as the way forward for New Zealand’s trucking industry in a non-diesel future.

Hydrogen-powered vehicles use stored gas, which is then supplied to a fuel tank. An electrochemical reaction is then what generates electricity.

The process does not add any unwanted chemicals into the atmosphere. What is leftover from the reaction combines with the air to make water, which is then evaporated.

That, in a nutshell, is why Sinclair believes hydrogen trucks are the future of domestic trucking.

“Although heavy trucks represent only about four per cent of all the vehicles in New Zealand, they contribute nearly 25 per cent of all carbon emissions from road transport,” he said.

Sinclair cites the constant need for trucks as why emissions are so high, not because they run off of diesel.

“Diesel fuel contains slightly more carbon than petrol, but overall CO2 emissions tend to be lower,” he said.

“They contribute more emissions because most trucks are on the road almost every day. To maximise efficiency and get the most out of their asset, each business maximises their time on the road.”

Using lithium-ion batteries rather than hydrogen means trucks will have to pause their operations each day for a few hours to recharge.

“Taking multiple hours out to recharge regularly is time the truck can’t be on the road.”

Trucks will also need to be packed with batteries to make themselves efficient, which adds weight and costs.

Hyundai New Zealand has already purchased five hydrogen trucks to add to its existing fleet. Although not a given, they could be on the roads as early as this year.

“New Zealand will be one of the first three countries in the world to run hydrogen trucks in fully commercial daily operations with freight operators,” Sinclair said, “along with Korea and Switzerland.”

Sinclair expects each of the five hydrogen trucks to save 50 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

“New Zealand is now at the forefront of international efforts to shift heavy vehicle transport to zero emission formats.”