Hyzon Motors, the SPAC-backed spinoff of Singapore’s Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, has begun production of fuel cell trucks in Europe. It expects to deliver the first of 15 zero-emission units to a city in the Netherlands in Q3.
The Groningen municipality orders are being fulfilled through a joint venture between Hyzon Motors Europe B.V. and Holthausen Clean Technology.
The 15 hydrogen vehicle order consists of 10 zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks, including water, refuse, hooklift crane and delivery trucks, and five zero-emission vans. All of the trucks are expected to be delivered by the end of the year. HCT previously provided 10 fuel cell vehicles to Groningen, a city of 200,000 in the northern Netherlands.
Groningen is known as the City of Energy. For more than a decade, it has invested in alternative fuels to power the city vehicle fleet. Groningen is aiming for zero carbon emissions by 2025 for the inner city and carbon neutrality throughout the municipality by 2035.
Europe takes the fuel cell lead
The European move is consistent with the continent’s early leadership in hydrogen production and fuel cells.
Nikola Corp.(NASDAQ: NKLA) and its manufacturing joint venture partner IVECO and German pipeline company OGE will work together to transport hydrogen to stations serving commercial fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) via a 124-mile pipeline.
Daimler Trucks and Volvo Group have formed a joint venture to make fuel cell trucks in the second half of the decade that would be sold by their rival brands.
South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Corp. last October delivered the first of 50 Xcient fuel cell trucks to Switzerland.
The trade group Hydrogen Europe expects 10,000 hydrogen trucks will be on European roads by 2025 and 100,000 by 2030, according to a position paper released in December.
Hyzon SPAC closing expected this quarter
Hyzon established its U.S. base in the former General Motors fuel cell headquarters near Rochester, New York, last July. It has announced an expansion there and a fuel cell materials manufacturing facility near Chicago.
Hyzon is backed by Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ:DCRB), a special purpose acquisition company that has raised $626 million to invest in Hyzon, which expects to receive $570 million of those funds when the business combination closes this quarter.
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