In a move which marks the upcoming tests of fuel cell trucks in real-world operations at different locations in Europe, the H2Haul project has been officially launched.

The H2Haul project pertains to the practical testing of hydrogen fuel cell trucks (H2 trucks) to ascertain their benefits with regard to heavy-duty, zero-emission logistics. The project is partially funded by the European Union (EU). For the project, a EUR 12 million funding will be provided by the European agency FCH JU (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking) over a period of five years.

The main members of the H2Haul project consortium are Air Liquide, Eoly, H2 Energy, IRU Projects, Hydrogen Europe, WaterstofNet and ThinkStep. Besides these companies, the project will also involve a number of other companies, including fuel cell truck manufacturers like Iveco, FPT Industrial, and VDL ETS.

With the recent official announcement of the launch of the H2Haul project, 16 heavy commercial vehicles outfitted with fuel cells will undergo trials at testing sites in Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and France. To facilitate the trials of the fuel cell vehicles by the way of high capacity fuelling, the project also involves the deployment of hydrogen filling stations.

During the testing period, a German logistics company will carry out real-world operations of the heavy commercial fuel cell vehicles for the BMW Group, Coop, Colruyt Group, Air Liquide, and Carrefour.