Hyzon Sends Four Hydrogen FCEV Trucks to PFG in California
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Hyzon Motors delivered four trucks to Performance Food Group’s Vistar facility in Fontana, Calif., the first deliveries of the truck maker’s hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle to its largest U.S. customer.
Richmond, Va.-based food distributor PFG operates more than 150 locations. PFG ranks No. 5 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America.
“Putting these zero-emission trucks on the road marks an important step toward decarbonization goals shared by PFG, Hyzon and the state of California,” Hyzon CEO Parker Meeks said.
Hyzon’s first-generation 110-kW hydrogen FCEVs have a range of up to 350 miles and a refueling time of 15 minutes with fast-fill dispensing.
Meeks
The vehicles will be fueled with hydrogen delivered by Pilot Travel Centers. PFG plans to deliver snacks, candy and beverages to customers with the trucks.
Hyzon and PFG initially announced a partnership in June 2023. Subject to a successful 110-kW truck trial, and another with Hyzon’s second-generation 200-kW truck, PFG could buy another 15 of the larger models. There is an option to take an additional 30 FCEVs too.
So far, Hyzon has built 12 trucks and sees the more powerful 200-kW truck as key to its future.
Start of production of the 200-kW truck is scheduled for later in 2024, Meeks told TT on Jan. 16, adding that the company has been carrying out preliminary track testing of that vehicle in recent weeks. Customer trials also will start in 2024.
Production of Hyzon's 200-kW truck is scheduled to start later in 2024, Meeks says.
Production of the company’s fuel cell system also will start later in 2024, Meeks added. By the end of November, the company had completed 25 B sample fuel cell systems, which will be followed by durability testing and design validation and then building pre-production systems. Production will take place at the company’s factory in Bolingbrook, Ill.
The company’s end goal is supplying its fuel cell technology to a larger truck maker, Meeks said.
“We are a technology company,” he said, adding that production of Hyzon’s own vehicles via a third-party assembly model will not continue indefinitely.
Working with two different original equipment manufacturers on the company’s own trucks offers extra opportunities, he said.
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In the U.S., the company uses a Freightliner chassis for its over-the-road trucks. In Australia and Europe, the company uses a chassis from a different OEM. Hyzon has not publicly named the OEM.
The current chassis in the U.S. is the Freightliner Cascadia in two day cab variants. Hyzon has an upfitting deal with Fontaine Modification.
Meeks termed 2024 a transition year for Hyzon when it comes to the company’s trucks. The company is “looking to accelerate the start of production as far forward as possible,” he told TT Jan. 16, but Hyzon is carrying out a measured scaling up.
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