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Plugged In Podcast: A real Canadian test for FCEV trucking

Made-in-Alberta hydrogen heavy duty truck pilot project will be the world's most ambitious

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Beginning next year, a made-in-Alberta pilot project will see two hydrogen fuel cell 64-tonne B-train tractor-trailers hauling freight between Edmonton and Calgary over the course of 18 months. Called the Alberta Zero Emissions Truck Electrification Collaboration, or AZETEC, the goal is to log about half-a-million carbon-free kilometres in all kinds of extreme Alberta weather conditions.

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On past episodes we’ve heard from a number of hydrogen fuel cell experts, and if one theme emerged from those discussions it was that hydrogen-powered electric vehicles are ideally suited for the long haul trucking industry. Charging times for traditional battery electric vehicles the size of a big rig are way too long to make them economically viable in an industry bound by tight delivery deadlines. However, hydrogen fueling is comparable to diesel fueling in terms of time, so it is quite conceivable to create zero-emission heavy duty trucks that work under the real life demands of the commercial trucking industry.

To tell us more about this ambitious project, our podcast guest is Chris Nash, who is the president of the Alberta Motor Transport Association and sits on the Hydrogen Task Force.

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