While vehicle manufacturers now face a series of closing dates for when they can sell fossil-fuel powered vehicles, the battery electric alternative inevitably has its limitations. For van operators involved in local operations, battery electric power will provide enough range for daily operations while providing sufficient payload.
That is not going to be the case for all van operators though. Some fleets cover very high mileages each year and the time taken to rapid charge during the day could be difficult to accommodate. There is an alternative possibility though, simply by producing electrical energy in a different way.
The hydrogen fuel cell has been under development for many years by vehicle manufacturers – it’s one of those technologies that has seemed to be permanently 20 years away. I first saw a hydrogen fuel-cell prototype van – a Mercedes-Benz MB100 in the mid 1990s. The fuel cell took up the entire load space of the van at the time. I drove a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle for the first time around 20 years ago.
The advantage is that instead of a large and heavy battery pack, a fuel cell needs a supply of hydrogen gas and air which, when mixed in the fuel cell can produce electricity. Just like the internal combustion engine, development is an ongoing process. Critics rightly point to the system’s relative lack of efficiency compared with batteries. Set against that, a fuel cell’s hydrogen tanks can be re-fuelled in a matter of minutes, just like a petrol or diesel powered-vehicle.
At the moment, the fuel cell is likely to be the power source of choice for long distance trucks, buses and coaches because of the convenience of rapid re-fuelling. That will also appeal to van fleets that cover high daily distances.
