Tevva, a British commercial electric vehicle (EV) startup, debuted its first truck with a hydrogen fuel cell booster on Thursday, with a range of up to 310 miles (499 km) and a higher zero-emission range for fleet operators.
Tevva, based in Tilbury, England, has so far secured $140 million from investors and plans to begin manufacturing of a fully-electric version of its 7.5 tonne truck later this year.
The hydrogen fuel-cell version of the startup's 7.5-tonne truck will go into production in 2023, followed by 12 and 19-tonne variants.
"We're big believers in this dual-energy approach because batteries alone don't always serve the needs of all our customers," Tevva chief executive Asher Bennett told Reuters. "Batteries are heavy so can eat into payload and charging very large batteries is not always easy."
Because hydrogen fuel cells are significantly lighter than batteries, some in the trucking industry see them as a long-term solution.
However, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles require infrastructure for manufacturing "green" hydrogen using renewable energy, as well as charging stations, which are unlikely to be available until the 2030s.
Tevva's head of hydrogen, Harsh Pershad, stated that the company is collaborating with providers of hydrogen fueling options for fleet clients.
Investors looking for the next Tesla have poured billions of dollars into EV firms in recent years.
However, as conventional automakers prepare to produce electric vans and trucks, startups are looking for a competitive or technological advantage in order to stay on the road.
Earlier this month U.S. commercial EV startup Electric Last Mile Solutions commenced bankruptcy proceedings because of a lack of funds. EV maker Canoo warned investors in May it might not be able to meet its financial obligations and had "substantial doubt" about its going concern
(Source:www.usnews.com)
Tevva, based in Tilbury, England, has so far secured $140 million from investors and plans to begin manufacturing of a fully-electric version of its 7.5 tonne truck later this year.
The hydrogen fuel-cell version of the startup's 7.5-tonne truck will go into production in 2023, followed by 12 and 19-tonne variants.
"We're big believers in this dual-energy approach because batteries alone don't always serve the needs of all our customers," Tevva chief executive Asher Bennett told Reuters. "Batteries are heavy so can eat into payload and charging very large batteries is not always easy."
Because hydrogen fuel cells are significantly lighter than batteries, some in the trucking industry see them as a long-term solution.
However, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles require infrastructure for manufacturing "green" hydrogen using renewable energy, as well as charging stations, which are unlikely to be available until the 2030s.
Tevva's head of hydrogen, Harsh Pershad, stated that the company is collaborating with providers of hydrogen fueling options for fleet clients.
Investors looking for the next Tesla have poured billions of dollars into EV firms in recent years.
However, as conventional automakers prepare to produce electric vans and trucks, startups are looking for a competitive or technological advantage in order to stay on the road.
Earlier this month U.S. commercial EV startup Electric Last Mile Solutions commenced bankruptcy proceedings because of a lack of funds. EV maker Canoo warned investors in May it might not be able to meet its financial obligations and had "substantial doubt" about its going concern
(Source:www.usnews.com)
