Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/772176
20 commercial carrier journal | january 2017 on the cusp of being replaced by a fuel you can spell with two fewer letters – H. Toyota for years has maintained that hydrogen fuel cell technology could be a zero-emissions solution across many vehicle types, and the fuel's scalability has enabled the automaker to explore a semi-trailer truck application for a California-based feasibil- ity study. Last month, Nikola Motor Co. gave the world an early Christmas present, unfurling its much-hyped Nikola One tractor and the hydrogen fuel cell that helps keep the truck's electric drive batteries charged. (See page 30). While the Nikola One uses a fully electric drivetrain powered by high-density lithium batteries, energy is supplied on the go by a hydrogen fuel cell. e range for a Nikola One, NMC claims, is 800 to 1,200 miles while delivering more than 1,000 horsepower and 2,000 lb.-. of torque. If those numbers hold up when an actual truck hits the road, hydrogen will have a buzz of its own. A heavy-duty truck-sized fuel cell vehicle based on the Toyota Mirai, the company claims, creates a potential zero-emissions freight transportation solution for the future. e Mirai is Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell car and features a 151-hp powertrain. Toyota has its work cut out for it in scalability, but the automaker already has plans to build hy- drogen fuel cell buses this year, putting about 100 of the clean-burning units into service in Tokyo ahead of the 2020 Olympics. U .S. coal production has declined in seven of the last eight years, and from 2015 to 2016, four publicly traded U.S. coal companies have declared bankruptcy. Coal is such a four-letter word that, pri- or to last month, I think Santa got a letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency telling him to find something else to leave for the naughty list. is country has tried for years to free itself from the kind of energy you can dig out of the ground but has been incapable of shaking that grip – especially when it comes to fuel. As recently as 2015, natural gas seemed to be looming like a tidal wave of cleaner-burning fuel for trucking. en diesel hovered around $2.50 per gallon for a year, adding to natural gas' payback window and taking some of the polish off of green energy. Natural gas still has its place, and fans of its efficiency still run the highways, but CNG and LNG aren't the buzzwords of the moment anymore and are seemingly PRODUCT REVIEWS, OEM & SUPPLIER NEWS AND EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT TRENDS BY JASON CANNON Going green with hydrogen Can abundant fuel overcome its high price tag? UNDERGROUND ENERGY: The country has been incapable of shaking its grip when it comes to fuel. CHEAPER DIESEL'S IMPACT: CNG and LNG aren't the alt-fuel buzzwords of the moment anymore. ANOTHER OPTION: Two companies see hydrogen fuel cell technology as a zero-emissions solution. While the Nikola One uses a fully electric drivetrain powered by high-density lithium batteries, energy is supplied on the go by a hydrogen fuel cell.