An electric truck is a vehicle that uses electricity as an energy source to power its engine and move. The electric motor is powered by a rechargeable battery that is charged by plugging the vehicle into a power outlet or by regenerative energy recovered during braking.
A hydrogen truck, on the other hand, uses a fuel cell to convert hydrogen into electricity, which then powers the engine to produce the energy needed to move the vehicle. In this case, the only emission produced is water vapour.
Both types of trucks are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help protect the environment by reducing dependence on fossil fuels.
They are gaining popularity around the world as a cleaner, more sustainable alternative to traditional diesel trucks. In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions as mentioned above, these vehicles also offer a significant reduction in long-term operating costs because electricity and hydrogen are cheaper than fossil fuels. Here are the different characteristics between electric and hydrogen vehicles.
Electric trucks vs. hydrogen trucks
➛ The number of hydrogen trucks currently available is very limited compared to the growing supply of electric trucks from various brands. In addition, hydrogen truck technology is still at an early stage of development compared to electric trucks, which results in hydrogen vehicles having a higher price tag than the others.
➛ In terms of cost, green hydrogen is a more expensive fuel to produce than electricity, which makes the cost per kilometre driven in a hydrogen refuelling truck higher than in an electric truck. Although green hydrogen is seen as a fuel of the future due to its potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, its high demand today and the complexity of its production make it more expensive to produce than electricity.
➛ One of the most important challenges that hydrogen fuel cell technology must address to become a truly green alternative is to improve energy efficiency. If we compare the amount of energy required to charge the batteries of an electric truck with the amount of energy required to fill the tanks of a hydrogen refuelling truck, we can see that hydrogen technology has a significantly higher level of energy losses than electric trucks. In fact, as of today, hydrogen fuel cell technology loses almost three times as much energy during the process in comparison.
➛ Currently, hydrogen refuelling trucks have an advantage in terms of range. This advantage is due to the fact that the energy stored in hydrogen is significantly greater than the energy stored in the batteries of electric trucks. However, it is important to note that this range difference may vary depending on the model and the specific technology used in each vehicle.
➛ Filling hydrogen tanks is much faster than charging the batteries of an electric truck. In some cases, filling a hydrogen tank can take less than fifteen minutes, which is faster than filling diesel fuel. On the other hand, the time needed to recharge the batteries of a heavy electric truck will exceed one hour in most cases.
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