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RMIT has pulled the covers of a new fuel cell Scania that might be small, but has great potential. The little rig is not much more than a metre in length but contains important technology that could change the way trucks are fuelled in Australia.
Instead of using diesel, the advanced test model transforms hydrogen into electricity, which turns the wheels using electric motors. It operates silently and produces no exhaust pipe emissions. The system could even do away with diesel generators that provide energy for refrigerated trucks, says RMIT sustainable energy associate professor, John Andrews.
"Trucks parked overnight wouldn't need to have a diesel generator going all the time because the fuel cell could provide the energy needed for the cooling system," he says. A handful of fuel cell trucks are being developed in the US, but the RMIT truck uses new technology that does away with the problematic storage systems housing hydrogen compressed to as much as 700bar.
The RMIT system uses cutting edge solid state storage that absorbs and later releases hydrogen using a compound made up of tiny metal particles (metal hydrides). The truck would still need large hydrogen tanks, but their exact size is yet to be determined.
A lot of work is being put into the development of fuel cell cars, but the RMIT team viewed an emission-free truck as an important goal for Australia. The head of RMIT's aerospace, mechanical and manufacturing engineering school, professor Aleksandar Subic, says: "For residents worried about fumes and noise, the prospect of a silent, zero-emission truck is exciting."
The team is testing its design using the remote controlled fuel cell test truck, simulating runs between Sydney and Melbourne. It would like to extend its research with an industry partner interested in working with RMIT to build a full size test truck.
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