Symbio, a jointly owned subsidiary of Forvia, Michelin, and Stellantis, presented its first hydrogen-powered fuel-cell heavy-duty truck at ACT Expo in Las Vegas, Nev.

The regional haul Class 8 truck is outfitted with EV specific tires that offer improved fuel economy and reduced wear from Michelin, according to a news release.

The Symbio “H2 Central Valley Express” project aims to develop and demonstrate a hydrogen fuel cell truck that matches the performance of a 15-liter diesel truck providing a zero-emission solution for demanding regional haul trucking operations.

Symbio has designed, developed, and integrated a heavy-duty longhaul truck-ready fuel cell powertrain, powered by Symbio’s fuel cell technology, into a Freightliner Cascadia Class 8 tractor.

The diesel engine has been replaced with Symbio’s 400 kW StackPack fuel cell system consisting of four packaged sub-systems of Symbio’s proprietary stack technology proven in the field with more than 5 million miles (8 million km) on-road experience.

The heavy duty 400-kW power system’s control strategy is optimized to deliver energy balance and power, meeting the functional requirements of the diesel truck. With a 70-kg hydrogen tank onboard, the fuel cell truck is capable of over 450 miles per fueling event.

Low-rolling resistance tires

The aim of the demonstration is to test the low-rolling resistance tires on a zero-emission truck. These tires are designed to handle higher torque loads under acceleration, which are different from those of internal combustion engine trucks. It is expected that the data collected will help determine the improvements needed to develop a tire applicable for the needs of hydrogen trucks.

Expected to hit the road by the end of 2024, the truck will run for 12 months on a 400-mile (650 km) route between the Inland Empire and Northern San Joaquin Valley in California.

The demonstration route consists of four distinct and challenging operating sections (120-mile L.A. Urban, Grapevine climb, Grapevine descent and 235-mile Central Valley high-speed). The vehicle will be storing 66.8kg of 700-bar hydrogen onboard with two intra-route fueling events in Central Valley.