A ceremony for the first of the Wisdom Fujian Motor range of heavy-duty hydrogen trucks bound for Australian distributor HDrive has taken place.
The vehicle is being shipped from the Zhangzhou Development Zone.
Present at the ceremony were Liu Yongxiang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Zhangzhou Development Zone and Executive Deputy Director of the Management Committee, Scott Brown, Managing Director of Pure Hydrogen in Australia, Jason Pecotic, Managing Director of HDrive in Australia, and the Economic Development Bureau of Zhangzhou Development Zone.
“We are pleased to cooperate with Wisdom Motor. Currently, countries around the world are striving to achieve carbon neutrality, and the demand for green travel is increasing,” said Jason Pecotic, HDrive Australia General Manager.
“We hope to work with Wisdom Motor to create a high-efficiency and low-energy consumption green smart manufacturing path,” he said.
In November last year, Wisdom Motor signed a memorandum of understanding with Pure Hydrogen and HDrive in Australia to deliver 12,000 hydrogen-fuel heavy-duty trucks over the next five years.
The Wisdom Motor hydrogen truck will be the first hydrogen fuel heavy-duty truck to be delivered after the agreement was signed.
Its hydrogen fuel cell system delivers 110-400kw of power and a range of up to 1,000 kilometres.
The vehicle, which is being marketed as an ideal intercity freight and provincial long-distance transportation solution, derives power from Ballard Power fuel cell stacks, and relies on an integrated control system with what Wisdom has described as a “360° multi-sensor fusion perception system.”
The body adopts a patented annular gantry beam with full load-bearing structure in addition to high-strength stainless steel and composite materials.
With the streamlined design of a ventilated motorcycle helmet, the fluid sculpture of the cab achieves a modern aerodynamic look.
The OEM claims the fibre body covering technology has helped reduce its weight by 10 per cent compared to similar products on the market.
The interior is driver-centric and is defined by a homely concept design with a cockpit conceived as an “intelligent mobile home”.
In addition to a wrap-around centre console, multimedia display, full LCD instrument cluster, and multi-function steering wheel, it also comes with a massage seat.
Wisdom Motor is confident the truck can have a service life of 20 years.
“Wisdom Motor will work with its partners HDrive and Pure Hydrogen in Australia to lead the innovation of zero-emission commercial vehicles with world-leading new energy technologies, better serving our customers in Australia and around the world,” it said in a statement.
HDrive was the first company in the world to deliver hydrogen fuel cell coaches for Fortescue Mines in Western Australia.
In March last year Pure Hydrogen announced that it would provide JJ Richards & Sons, Australia’s largest privately owned waste management company, with a hydrogen-powered waste truck and hydrogen refuelling services.
PepsiCo is anticipated to begin a trial of the hydrogen-powered truck jointly designed by HDrive and Wisdom Motor in Brisbane later this month as it evaluates commercial use cases for the fuel cell vehicles in Australia.