Within the last 5 years several passenger cars with fuel cells were launched in small-scale series volumes, i.e. Hyundai ix35, Toyota Mirai, and Honda Clarity Fuel Cell. However, while these vehicles enable individual zero-emission mobility with long driving range, no comparable zero-emission solution for the commercial transportation of goods has been introduced to the market yet. Considering the vehicle miles traveled, the fossil fuel consumption and the corresponding GHG emissions, the necessity of developing suitable technological solutions for zero-emission commercial vehicles is evident. Even though low-emission alternatives like CNG, LNG etc. could reduce the emissions from commercial transport of goods, today only hydrogen fueled fuel cell trucks can meet zero-emission regulations, as current battery technology is not economically viable for long-haul truck application in terms of size and weight.

The present project HyTruck aims at demonstrating a zero-emission fuel cell-based solution for the commercial vehicle market within the energy model region WIVA P&G. To achieve the objectives of the RTI initiative of the Austrian Climate and Energy Fund, a strong project consortium was formed, comprised of two truck OEMs (Rosenbauer and FMF (IVECO)), an engineering provider to the automotive industry (AVL List), logistic companies (DB Schenker, MPreis via FEN Systems), an SME for sustainable development (FEN Systems), an SME for innovative refrigerated cargo trucks (Productbloks), and four research institutions (Vienna University of Technology, Graz University of Technology, HyCentA, and the Energieinstitut der Johannes Kepler Universität Linz), and the WIVA P&G association.
Based on the above-mentioned state-of-the-art of fuel cell trucks, HyTruck provides a significant technology advancement as current barriers such as power output, lifetime, energy and thermal management as well as cost are overcome with novel and innovative solutions.