As part of the European HECTOR program (Hydrogen Waste Collection Vehicles in North West Europe), this experiment aims to study how hydrogen trucks can be an effective solution for reducing emissions from garbage vehicles. In total, the project includes 7 trials on a European scale.
Conversion and optimization
Based on the DAF CF 340, the BOM tested by AGR was converted from diesel to hydrogen by E-Trucks Europe, a Belgian hydrogen commercial vehicle manufacturer, and Wietholt, an authorized DAF dealer based in Dorsten, Germany.
To do this, the truck’s entire powertrain was removed, with the exception of an Allison 3200 automatic transmission. Equipped with six speeds, it was optimized by the engineers of the two companies in order to be adapted to the new truck’s fuel cell propulsion system.
A highly autonomous vehicle
Weighing 28 tons, the truck is used by a single driver to collect commercial waste from businesses in the Ruhr area.
It is equipped with a 45 kW fuel cell installed in its old engine compartment, batteries powering an electric motor coupled to its transmission, as well as four hydrogen tanks placed on its roof with a capacity of 20 kilos. Storing hydrogen at 350 bars of pressure, the latter give the truck a range of 200 km and can be filled in less than 15 minutes.
