The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) says its research is clear, the future of long-haul will include hydrogen. But not only hydrogen.
“It’s not the solution for every duty cycle, but it is a solution for part of the work that diesel engines are doing today,” says Rick Mihelic, one of the authors of NACFE’s newest guidance report, “Hydrogen Trucks: Long Haul’s Future?”
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NACFE sees hydrogen trucks working in concert with other forms of fuel including, yes, diesel, as well as other alternative fuels.
“We don’t need to know everything to get started,” says Mike Roeth, NACFE’s executive director, with some gray areas including distribution systems and tractor cost, for starters.
The industry does need to agree on the form of hydrogen to base the technology on — gaseous or liquid. NACFE’s report details some of the pros and cons of each.
When it comes to hydrogen, the trucking industry is really just getting started.
