Hydrogen and e-trucks - also for long hauls
Electric and hydrogen technology will help to significantly reduce general CO2 emissions and thus achieve the European goal of becoming carbon neutral / climate neutral by 2050. The European Commission sets up co-partnerships with the sectors’ stakeholders to define innovation and research pathways.
One of the formalised groups of interest is 2Zero, which specialises in defining priorities for electric and hydrogen vehicles. After a consultation process, the group decided to create a specific call for proposals for research projects on hydrogen trucks or e-trucks for longer hauls.
In 2023, three new innovative projects - Zefes, Empower & Escalate, were launched concerning the development of electric and hydrogen trucks for long hauls, which implies an independence from refuelling of around 750 km.
The European Commission forecasted an overall budget of EUR 88,4 million to cover the expenses from the research phase, through the prototyping phase, until the testing phase; therefore, until the truck is able to perform on the road. The three projects will be presented by the European Commission to the logistics community at the Transport Logistic fair in Munich on the 11 May 2023.
The event has been organised by Gruber Logistics, the South Tyrolean transport and logistics company, in cooperation with Alice, the international organisation that oversees innovation within Europe’s logistics sector. (ben)