Remondis Australia is trialling a zero-emissions hydrogen-powered truck for its commercial waste collection operations as a precursor to a full rollout of hydrogen vehicles across its global network.
Hyzon Motors ANZ manufactured the truck and is supplying it to Remondis under a licencing agreement. The fuel cell engine is powered by hydrogen which combines with air to generate electricity to power the truck. The only emissions created from the system are water vapour.
In an Australian first, Remondis will trial the new rubbish truck in Port Kembla, New South Wales from mid-2023.
“It is a big step to invest in putting a zero-emission waste collection truck to the test in a commercial setting. Although we can’t pre-empt the trial outcomes, we’ve certainly placed a stake in the zero-emission space,” Remondis Australia chair Björn Becker said.
“A best-case scenario could be gradually replacing our global diesel-powered trucks with zero-emission trucks, which could set the scene for other companies to do the same. At the very least we’ll collect unprecedented information about what it takes to get closer to fleet decarbonisation.”
The trial will assess the performance of the hydrogen vehicle relative to the company’s existing diesel fleet. The hydrogen truck is capable of operating at the industry benchmark of driving in a 200km range and collecting 1500 rubbish bins per day.
Hyzon began manufacturing the hydrogen trucks in 2022 at a purpose-built assembly plant in Melbourne.
“This particular truck – which we call our Heavy Rigid truck – has been developed in Australia as a global platform. It is adaptable for international markets with a multitude of vehicle use cases such as garbage compactors, tilt trays and flatbed trucks,” Hyzon president of international operations John Edgley said in a statement.
Hyzon is based in Rochester, New York and also has operations in the Netherlands and China.
Hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles are becoming a popular choice for industry users who can recharge their fleets at a single operating point. Ark Energy began a trial of five Hyzon hydrogen-powered fuel cell trucks at Sun Metals’ zinc mine in Townsville in late 2022. In this case the hydrogen was supplied via a 1 MW electrolyzer installed at Sun Metals’ zinc refinery powered by a 124 MW solar farm.
Hydrogen fuel cells are also suited to heavy vehicles because they are substantially lighter than electric batteries, which reduce the payload of haulage vehicles.