Hydrogen for Heavy-Duty Transport: Economic and Environmental Implications

Heavy-duty vehicles are crucial to America’s economy, supply chains, and transportation systems. Trucks move 64% of all cargo by weight and 69% by monetary value.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that although trucks and buses make up less than 8% of vehicles, they contribute “more than 35% of direct CO2 emissions from road transport.”

The most promising solution leading the alternative fuel push in this sector is hydrogen—the most simple and abundant element in the universe. Hydrogen heavy-duty vehicles are already driven worldwide and will play a crucial role in achieving a net-zero future.

Table of Contents:

• Why use hydrogen for heavy-duty transport?
• Economic implications of hydrogen
• Environmental implications of hydrogen
• Challenges in implementing hydrogen solutions

Why Use Hydrogen for Heavy-Duty Transport?

Large vehicles traveling long distances under tight logistical constraints have challenging demands. The fossil fuels largely meeting those demands are a significant driver of carbon and other GHG emissions.

The heavy-duty transport industry needs a robust and cost-effective alternative fuel source to transition from diesel. Chief concerns in this sector include:

• Payload: The amount of a vehicle’s profitable weight, its sellable cargo. Heavy-duty vehicles have high energy and cargo space demands.
  • The energy density (energy per mass or volume) of the vehicle’s fuel source directly impacts the maximum payload size.

• Range: the distance the vehicle can traverse on a full tank or charge is a top logistical priority for round-the-clock transportation schedules.
  • Every minute of downtime eats into profit margins, so the fewer stops for fuel, the better.

• Refuel times: the time it takes to refuel and get back on the road is important under tight time constraints.
  • This issue particularly impacts conventional battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with some long-haul varieties requiring hours to recharge, increasing trip times by up to 35%.

Hydrogen is currently the only clean and widely available alternative fuel source with a strong response to all these concerns.

Economic Implications of Hydrogen for Heavy-Duty Transport

Transitioning to hydrogen fuel requires an investment of time and funds. However, government and private entities worldwide have taken the plunge and shown that these investments pay great dividends.

Operational Efficiency for Fleets

Hydrogen is particularly well-suited to the demands of long-haul transport. Compared to internal combustion engines and conventional electric batteries—hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (HFCEV) are light, simple, and highly efficient.

Fuel cell batteries are much smaller and lighter than plug-in varieties. In semi-trucks, this can free up to 8,000 pounds for more cargo compared to electric counterparts, a crucial feature for transportation and logistics providers.

The superior energy density of hydrogen batteries also provides a longer range, with some heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles reaching 800 miles—more than double most electric counterparts—and refuel times comparable to diesel.

Cost Efficiency and Scaling Potential

Investing in a fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles has a higher price tag than traditional diesel. However, new advancements are constantly making partial and full conversions more affordable.

For example, engineers have invented ways of retrofitting diesel vehicles with hydrogen powertrains and fuel cell compatibility—creating a more affordable entry point for service providers.

Hydrogen fuel is higher priced than diesel due to its limited supply chain and costly production. However, the simple design of hydrogen fuel cells may help mitigate the costs of battery maintenance and charging. Fuel cells refill quickly, run for long distances, and are naturally resistant to sub-zero weather—all notable advantages over electric-only vehicles.

Scalability’s top constraint is the limited number of hydrogen fuel providers and fueling stations. The U.S. currently has around 74 refueling stations—but many are private, and most are concentrated in California.

While hydrogen fuel is currently expensive to convert to, its prices show a downward trend as technological and infrastructural progress advances. Regarding its limited availability, clean hydrogen production and distribution require significant expansion.

Energy Security and Domestic Production

Hydrogen’s plentifulness means fuel production can be implemented anywhere, independent of international and domestic supply chains. Increasing hydrogen fuel availability can shift fulfillment of our energy needs closer to home—bolstering local jobs and economic growth.

Job creation in the hydrogen fuel industry could mitigate concerns about the economic impact of shifting away from traditional fossil fuels. Creating new job opportunities for those lost in shifts to cleaner energy is essential for promoting a strong energy system and macroeconomy.

The U.S. hydrogen energy industry scored a notable win in 2024 when the Department of Energy announced a $62 million investment in hydrogen fueling and transportation development. Government incentives like these are a catalyst for industry growth and innovation.

Environmental Implications of Hydrogen Adoption

Hydrogen fuel cell technology might sound like an invention of the future—but it’s already powering heavy-duty trucks, forklifts, ferries, trains, and planes.

Hydrogen’s Role in Decarbonization

Hydrogen can power vehicles in two ways: internal combustion engines and electric fuel cells. Both produce only water vapor and heat as byproducts, making all hydrogen fuel zero-emission.

Engineers have discovered many creative methods of tapping into the power of hydrogen around us while minimizing the associated carbon footprint. As fuel cell technology improves, so too does its sustainability.

Support from the U.S. Department of Energy has yielded many advancements in this regard, including:

• Improved hydrogen fuel cell catalyst performance by 60%
• Enhanced fuel cell catalyst durability up to 25,000 driving hours
• Streamlined hydrogen dispensing processes for greater efficiency

Switching to fuel sources that mitigate or eliminate carbon emissions is crucial in transitioning to carbon neutrality—which climate experts estimate we must achieve by 2050.

Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Though all hydrogen is a clean energy source, its environmental benefits depend largely on how it’s sourced.

Currently, most commercial-use hydrogen is sourced from natural gas—a fossil fuel—through steam methane reforming (SMR). This production method generates hydrogen, carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). Depending on the facility, these greenhouse gasses may or may not be filtered through carbon capture systems.

SMR is cleaner than coal gasification but less environmentally friendly than solar-driven or biological production methods. However, the arrangement of reduced- and zero-emission options are promising alternatives that prove clean hydrogen is widely attainable.

Notably, “the heaviest shipped commodity by weight is natural gas and other fossil fuel products.” It stands to reason that transitioning to clean hydrogen sources could decrease our emissions twofold by reducing GHGs and fossil fuel freight.

The exact measure of GHG reduction by switching to hydrogen depends largely on the vehicle, haul, and travel route. Some estimates place the average diesel truck CO2 emissions at 223 tons per year. Multiplying this number by the number of active vehicles in a fleet adds up quickly.

Air Quality Improvements

Heavy-duty transportation is a major contributor of smog, particularly in urban areas. These emissions include carcinogens and irritants that can cause or worsen health conditions. The harm caused by these emissions is most pronounced in economically disadvantaged regions where residents often live close to industrial facilities.

Transitioning to hydrogen-fueled vehicles minimizes public exposure to harmful pollutants, benefiting both the environment and local air quality. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are also much quieter than internal combustion engines, reducing noise pollution.

Cities worldwide have implemented fuel cell transit buses to push for clean air. Shipping and logistics providers have found a promising alternative in hydrogen-fueled semi-trucks. Hydrogen’s versatility lends solutions for carbon reduction across many modes of transportation.

Challenges in Implementing Hydrogen Solutions

Hydrogen shows great potential as a carbon-cutting alternative fuel source, but major barriers to widescale implementation remain.

Infrastructure Development Needs

Infrastructure specialized for hydrogen production, delivery, and refueling is needed nationwide. Even with the long-haul performance capabilities of heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles, many fleet and logistics managers would struggle to fulfill all their orders with hydrogen-powered vehicles alone. A stronger network of production facilities, pipelines, and fuel centers would greatly enable wider adoption.

Hydrogen-powered transportation is still a burgeoning industry with near-limitless potential despite these barriers. Major players in the automotive manufacturing industry have taken steps to advance and incorporate hydrogen technology—including Toyota, Hyundai, and SAIC. Private sector support will undoubtedly help accelerate advancements in this field.

Initial Investment and Technology Costs

Hydrogen-powered vehicles are still a relatively expensive commodity. The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found a price range of $200,000-$600,000 per heavy-duty fuel cell truck. The high initial investment cost and high fuel prices (averaging $32.94/kg) put full transition to hydrogen out of reach for many fleets.

Hydrogen fuel also lacks the convenient storage properties of traditional fossil fuels, which can be kept at ambient temperatures. Specialized storage that meets hydrogen fuel’s pressure and temperature requirements is costly.

Government incentives, subsidies, and partnerships with the private sector could boost progress in research and development to lower prices faster. Such support stimulates technological advancements, creates jobs, and speeds the lagging transition to carbon neutrality.

Embrace the Future of Hydrogen-Powered Heavy-Duty Transport

Hydrogen fuel has a crucial role to play in the fight against carbon emissions. Many strides have been made in hydrogen fuel technology and infrastructure.

FASTECH has built more than 30 hydrogen fueling stations, plus a tri-generation power plant that produces and dispenses green hydrogen. However, there’s much work to be done.

Hydrogen power is a leap toward a future where vehicles only emit water, and our air is clean. To learn more about building that road to a brighter, hydrogen-powered future, see what FASTECH can offer for your fleet transformation needs.