Hydrogen truck vs pure electric truck
In the field of trucks, there are currently two models that are developing rapidly, trying to compete with fuel trucks. They are pure electric trucks and hydrogen fuel cell trucks. The main power of both is supplied by batteries. Pure electric trucks mainly use lithium-ion batteries, while hydrogen fuel cell trucks use hydrogen as fuel. Both have their own unique advantages compared to fuel trucks.
Hydrogen truck vs pure electric truck. So, who can represent the future of new energy trucks by comparing the two?
The difference between hydrogen trucks and pure electric trucks
At present, pure electric trucks on the market are basically restructured from the chassis of fuel trucks. The difference from fuel trucks is mainly in the powertrain module. Compared with fuel trucks, pure electric trucks cancel the engine, intake and exhaust system, For the fuel supply system, the light-duty vehicle directly cancels the gearbox, and the heavy-duty vehicle replaces the AMT automatic gearbox for electric vehicles. Instead, the drive motor, power battery, and electronic control system are used.
The essence of the hydrogen fuel cell truck is to add a set of power generation system to the pure electric truck-the hydrogen fuel cell system. The hydrogen fuel cell system mainly includes a hydrogen storage tank and an electric stack (fuel cell).
Its working principle is to transport the hydrogen in the hydrogen storage tank to the stack to chemically react with oxygen to produce electricity and then deliver it to the power battery, and then transmit the electricity to the drive motor to output power. Therefore, the hydrogen fuel cell truck can be understood as “bring hydrogen.” Pure electric truck with fuel generator”.
In addition, pure electric trucks use external electrical energy to charge the power battery, while hydrogen fuel cell trucks use fuel cells to charge the power battery. The charging process is during the driving of the vehicle. Therefore, the hydrogen fuel cell truck does not require the power of the power battery. High, its power is much less than that of pure electric trucks.
Comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of hydrogen trucks and pure electric trucks
Advantage:
1. More environmentally friendly: Although hydrogen fuel cell trucks and pure electric trucks can achieve “zero emissions” during driving, the main component of hydrogen fuel cells is hydrogen, which will not pollute the environment after the end of their service life. The lithium battery contains a large amount of heavy metals, which requires scientific and standardized recycling, otherwise it will pollute the environment. Therefore, hydrogen fuel cell trucks on the chain will be more environmentally friendly.
2. Long cruising range and short hydrogenation time: The energy density of hydrogen fuel cells is high, much higher than that of lithium batteries, and the energy conversion efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells is high, so the vehicle has a longer cruising range. In addition, hydrogen refueling is similar to the fuel/gas method. Generally, the refueling time is less than 10 minutes. Although it is slightly longer than the refueling time of fuel vehicles, it is much lower than the charging time of pure electric trucks, and there is no need to change the refueling habits.
3. Excellent low temperature resistance and no battery attenuation: It is difficult to avoid battery attenuation in pure electric trucks during use, and the battery attenuation is more severe in low temperature environments. This is also the reason why pure electric trucks reduce their cruising range in winter. Fuel cells do not have this problem, which greatly improves the operating efficiency in low temperature environments.
4. Lighter vehicle weight and lower energy consumption: Hydrogen fuel cell has high energy density and lighter vehicle weight. For example, a lithium battery with 100kW·h power is about 800kg, while a hydrogen fuel cell with the same power is only 1/ 4 or so, can help improve the vehicle’s cruising range.
Disadvantages:
1. Poor hydrogenation convenience: At present, although pure electric truck charging is not very convenient, it is easy to find charging piles in some cities with more applications. However, at this stage, most cities do not have hydrogen refueling stations, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles cannot be refueled during the use of vehicles. Therefore, “hydrogenation anxiety” is not conducive to the promotion of hydrogen trucks for a certain period of time.
2. High vehicle purchase cost: The current price of hydrogen fuel cell trucks can be said to be “sky price”, which can only be afforded by some government units, and it is far from the real commercial stage. The price of pure electric trucks is much lower than that of hydrogen fuel cell trucks in terms of initial purchase cost.
3. The volume of the cargo box is small, and the loading efficiency is reduced: Compared with the pure electric truck, the hydrogen storage tank is added to the hydrogen fuel cell truck, and the hydrogen storage tank is generally arranged between the cab and the cargo compartment, and the entire length of the vehicle is the same. , The length of the cargo compartment of the hydrogen fuel cell truck is 0.5-1m shorter, and the loading efficiency is reduced.
3. High cost of use: From the perspective of fuel prices, the cost of hydrogen fuel per unit distance of a hydrogen fuel cell truck far exceeds the other two models. Moreover, the fuel cost accounts for a relatively high proportion of the total cost. It can be seen that the price of hydrogen fuel is an important factor restricting the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles. The use cost of pure electric trucks is about 50% of that of fuel trucks. At present, due to the imperfect hydrogenation ecology, the use cost of hydrogen fuel cell trucks is more than twice that of fuel trucks, and the use cost is higher.
In summary, pure electric trucks and hydrogen fuel cell trucks have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Although the industrialization of hydrogen energy and fuel cells still has a long way to go at this stage, it is in line with the general direction of national energy security and environmental protection. At the same time, the policy shows that the country’s support for the field of hydrogen energy and fuel cells is consistent. Hydrogen fuel cells have unique advantages in commercial truck applications, especially in the field of heavy trucks. Compared with pure electric heavy trucks and diesel heavy trucks, they have strong endurance and excellent low-temperature performance. They can take the lead in downstream applications to promote hydrogen energy- The fuel cell industry chain is developing simultaneously.
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