The hybrid municipal vehicle has been designed to reduce noise and exhaust emissions related to waste disposal. The garbage collection vehicle prototype will feature a 32 kW onboard hydrogen-powered fuel cell energy system that will switch off the main drive (diesel engine) during collection, thereby saving up to three liters of diesel fuel per hour and reducing CO2, NOx and fine particle emissions.
The hybrid vehicle, which integrates the fuel cell unit and the hydrogen tank system as a vehicle subsystem to enhance energy management and safety functions, has been developed to demonstrate the advantage of using an electrical propulsion system with a fuel cell for garbage collection by a municipality vehicle.
The vehicle is undergoing a testing process under real operating conditions in the context of a demonstration project carried out by BSR, following which a field test will be conducted using a small fleet of garbage collection vehicles.
Dr Henrik Colell, CEO of Heliocentris, said: “We are very proud to be able to realize this promising vehicle project in the consortium with the leading companies BSR and Fun. This is another important milestone in the implementation of our strategy to position ourselves as a company on the market for energy storage solutions for special vehicles.”
