Transport

China unveils 100kg liquid-hydrogen fuel system that could allow a truck to travel 1,300km without refuelling

State-owned China Aerospace and Technology Corporation says the new technology meets international standards

A computer rendering of the 100kg fuel-tank system installed behind a truck cab.
A computer rendering of the 100kg fuel-tank system installed behind a truck cab.Photo: CCTV
Editor, Hydrogen Insight
A liquid-hydrogen fuelling system for trucks that includes a “breakthrough” 100kg fuel tank has been unveiled by Chinese state-owned company China Aerospace and Technology Corporation (CASC).
German automaker Daimler has previously road-tested a fully-loaded truck with 80kg of liquid hydrogen stored in onboard tanks, which travelled 1,047km without refuelling.

Assuming the same efficiency, such a vehicle (with a combined gross weight of 40 tonnes) would be able to travel just over 1,300km on a single 100kg tank.

“China has successfully developed its first 100-kilogram class vehicle-mounted liquid hydrogen system, marking a new breakthrough in the country's transportation sector,” said CASC, which is the main contractor for the Chinese space programme.

“As one of the core components of liquid hydrogen heavy trucks, the new system is fully domestically produced and will help hydrogen-powered heavy trucks achieve an improved range of over 1,000km with just one charge.”

CASC adds that the new system, Track 1000, has the same overall dimensions as its predecessor, while boasting a 20% increase in H2 volume, and cutting costs by more than 30%.

The state-owned enterprise adds that it “matches international standards in terms of system quality, hydrogen storage density, and refuelling time”.

Liquid hydrogen is notoriously difficult to store and transport as it must be kept at temperatures below minus 253°C. If it rises above this level it will turn to H2 gas, expanding and increasing the pressure inside the tank. This could lead to explosions unless the gas is vented into the atmosphere — where it acts as an indirect greenhouse gas — or reliquefied, a far more expensive and complex option.

Daimler said that its 40kg fuel tanks — two of which are mounted on its Gen H2 truck — deliver “particularly good insulation”, meaning that the “hydrogen can be kept at temperature for a sufficiently long time without active cooling”.

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Published 13 May 2024, 11:24Updated 17 June 2024, 08:19
Liquid hydrogenChinafuel-cell vehiclesTrucksRoad transport