The Alberta Motor Transport Association’s (AMTA) Nikola hydrogen fuel-cell-electric vehicle (FCEV) completed a 519-km round-trip from Edmonton to Calgary without needing to refuel and with hydrogen in the tank to spare.
“The most important takeaway of this event is the vehicle has been proven for longhaul operations,” said Robert Harper, AMTA’s acting president. “We used 61% of the hydrogen on board.”
(Photo: Nikola Corporation)
“This trip was an incredibly exciting milestone for Nikola,” said Nicole Rose, head of public relations and corporate communications, Nikola.
“This distance of trip was the first to do so on a single tank of fuel in our Nikola hydrogen FCEV in Canada. The driver executed the run with an efficiency to make the trip with less than a full tank of fuel.”
Bison Transport’s Dave Lowe, a professional driver with 27 years experience, completed the run on Jan. 24.
Winter conditions
The truck weighing 26,000 lb. (11,793 kg) was hauling an empty trailer weighing 14,000 lb. (6350 kg). AMTA’s Harper said the outside temperature was -11C at the beginning of the trip and rose to 0C at the end.
Lowe took three hours to drive on the Queen Elizabeth II Highway from Edmonton to Calgary and the return leg took another three hours.
The next step will be to determine hydrogen consumption with a stocked trailer, Harper said.
“Other zero-emission vehicles that have been tested in Alberta are best suited for return-to-base and shorthaul operations. This vehicle will support U.S. weights of 82,000 lb.,” Harper added.
