Hydrogen vs. Battery Trucks: The Future of Freight | Fuel Cells, H2-ICE & Tesla Semi Compared

Hydrogen vs. Battery Trucks: Which Will Dominate Long-Haul Freight? 

Welcome to The Hydrogen Podcast! 🎙️ Today, Paul Rodden takes on one of the most hotly debated topics in transportation: Will Class 8 trucks be powered by hydrogen or batteries? A recent Forbes article claims hydrogen has already failed—but is that really true? In this episode, we challenge that assumption by analyzing fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2-ICEs), and battery-electric trucks (BEVs) in terms of range, payload capacity, refueling, infrastructure, and economic viability.

🔹 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ Energy Density & Range: Hydrogen vs. Batteries for long-haul trucking
✅ Payload Capacity: How weight impacts fleet revenue
✅ Refueling & Infrastructure: Hydrogen fueling vs. megawatt-scale charging
✅ Economic Viability: Hydrogen fuel cost projections & total cost of ownership (TCO)
✅ H2-ICE Trucks: A faster transition to hydrogen for fleets?

Key Insights & Comparisons:
1️⃣ Hydrogen vs. Battery Truck Range & Performance:

• Tesla Semi: 300-500 miles (lower with heavy loads & extreme temperatures)
• Volvo FH Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck: 600-1,000 miles per refueling
• H2-ICE Trucks (Cummins, Toyota): Diesel-like power & torque with near-zero emissions
• Hydrogen energy density: 33.3 kWh/kg vs. 0.25-0.30 kWh/kg for lithium-ion batteries
• Refueling time: Hydrogen 10-15 minutes vs. BEV charging 1-4+ hours

2️⃣ Payload Capacity & Weight Considerations:

• BEV trucks require 5,000-8,000 lb battery packs, reducing cargo capacity
• Hydrogen fuel cell trucks use lightweight compressed tanks, maximizing payload
• H2-ICE trucks use existing diesel engine platforms for a lighter, familiar design
• Fleet profitability: More cargo per trip = higher revenue per mile

3️⃣ Refueling & Infrastructure Challenges:

• Battery-Electric Trucks:
  • Require megawatt-scale chargers placing extreme demand on grids
  • Downtime for charging reduces fleet utilization rates
• Hydrogen Fueling Stations:
  • Being deployed by Shell, Air Liquide, TotalEnergies along freight corridors
  • Refueling mirrors diesel, requiring no major workflow changes for fleets
• H2-ICE Trucks:
  • Can utilize modified diesel refueling stations, reducing infrastructure costs

4️⃣ Economic Viability & Market Trends:

• Hydrogen fuel price: $6-$10/kg (2025), projected to fall below $3/kg by 2030
• Hydrogen fuel cost per mile: $0.50-$0.80, approaching diesel parity
• Hydrogen truck price: $300K-$450K, projected under $250K by 2030
• Major adopters: Amazon, Walmart, Maersk, UPS investing in hydrogen trucking
• EU & US billions in hydrogen trucking incentives & infrastructure expansion

📌 Chapters for Easy Navigation:
0:00 – Introduction
1:30 – Hydrogen vs. Battery Truck Range & Performance
5:10 – Payload Capacity & Fleet Economics
8:45 – Hydrogen Fueling vs. BEV Charging Infrastructure
12:15 – Hydrogen Trucking Economics & Cost Projections
16:00 – H2-ICE Trucks: A Faster Path to Hydrogen Adoption?
18:45 – Future Outlook: Will Hydrogen Dominate Trucking?

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