GM, Komatsu to develop hydrogen fuel cells for electric mining truck

Komatsu

12/12/2023 15:00

By Nick Carey
       Dec 12 (Reuters) - General Motors  GM.N  and Komatsu
 6301.T  said on Tuesday they will jointly develop a hydrogen
fuel cell power module for the Japanese construction machinery
maker's 930E electric drive mining truck.
    "Mining trucks are among the largest, most capable vehicles
used in any industry, and we believe hydrogen fuel cells are
best suited to deliver zero emissions' propulsion to these
demanding applications," Charlie Freese, executive director of
Hydrotec, the No.1 U.S. automaker's fuel cell unit, said in a
statement. 
    The two companies said they aim to test a prototype of the
hydrogen fuel cell-powered 930E mining truck, which has a
nominal payload of 320 tons, in the middle of the decade.
    GM and Komatsu said that as these mining vehicles usually
operate at just one mine throughout their lifetime, that should
make it easier to roll out hydrogen refueling infrastructure to
service a vehicle fleet.
    Interest in hydrogen fuel cells to power trucks and vans has
grown as fleet operators seek a more practical alternative to
electric vehicles. Hydrogen's main challenge is infrastructure,
which is too scant to support fleets today. 
    While most of the world's combustion engine cars and
short-distance vans and lorries should be replaced by battery
electric vehicles (BEVs) over the next two decades, fuel-cell
proponents and some long-haul fleet operators say batteries are
too heavy, take too long to charge and could overload power
grids.
    The same applies for heavy vehicles like mining trucks,
which would require enormous batteries to move any distance.
    Last week, GM and Autocar Industries said they will jointly
develop hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles - such as cement mixers,
dump trucks and refuse trucks - the first of which should go
into production in 2026 at Autocar's plant in Birmingham,
Alabama. 

   

 (Reporting by Nick Carey, Editing by Louise Heavens)
 ((nick.carey@thomsonreuters.com; +44 7385 414 954;))