Quantron, the Augsburg-based manufacturer, has announced the release of a new fuel cell truck for the US market. Designed for heavy-duty and long-haul applications, the Quantron Class 8 US Truck has a range of up to 850 miles (1,360 kilometres) and was unveiled at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Anaheim, California. The truck is a conversion to a fuel cell drive based on an existing chassis, as is customary for Quantron.
While technical details of the fuel cell, buffer battery and electric motor were not disclosed, Quantron did reveal that the concept vehicle unveiled in Anaheim has an 80-kilogram hydrogen tank. At the start of production, the manufacturer expects the heavy-duty Class 8 truck to have a range of about 750 to 850 miles with a tank capacity of 100 kg of hydrogen, which can be refuelled in just ten to 15 minutes.
In comparison, the heavy H2 truck presented by Quantron for Europe last autumn has a capacity of 54 kilograms of hydrogen, allowing for a range of up to 700 kilometres in the standard variant. Quantron also recently announced a collaboration with FirstElement Fuel, which provides access to a network of around 40 hydrogen refuelling stations in California.
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The Quantron Class 8 US Truck has already secured a major contract from logistics company TMP Logistics, which has agreed to purchase 500 heavy-duty fuel cell trucks under a framework agreement. Rick Haas, president and CEO of Quantron US, said the collaboration with FirstElement Fuel would help fleets transition to carbon-free mobility by providing access to a reliable refuelling network.
