Cummins, Navistar cooperate on heavy duty hydrogen fuel truck
Cummins is announcing a new deal with Navistar to develop a truck powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
The company announced the project to develop the Class 8 truck this morning, saying that it is being funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The award is one of two DOE grants awarded to Cummins, totaling more than $7 million dollars. Grant objectives include reducing the upfront capital costs by 35 percent to make the adoption of zero-emission fuel cell technologies viable for commercial fleets.
Amy Davis, president of New Power at Cummins, said the vehicle will feature a next generation fuel cell configuration and will allow the company to advance hydrogen technology for line haul trucks. The goal is to develop an integrated fuel cell electric powertrain for heavy duty trucks with a range of 300 miles or more and improved fuel efficiency over other heavy duty truck options.
The prototype truck will see a year-long field test and will be integrated into Werner Enterprises’ fleet of more than 7,700 tractors, operating out of Fontana, California.