Loop Energy gains medium-duty hydrogen-electric truck customers

Loop Energy, a developer and manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cells for commercial mobility, announced it has entered the Pilot Phase of the Customer Adoption Cycle with two new customers seeking to develop medium-duty hydrogen-electric trucks.

Opex/Hevolucion and Avia Ingeniería are both looking to trial hydrogen-electric vehicles using Loop Energy S300 fuel cells in 2023. (Photo: Loop Energy)

Opex/Hevolucion, a Colombian systems integrator of batteries and hydrogen fuel cells, and Avia Ingeniería, a Spanish electric powertrain provider and systems integrator, are both looking to trial hydrogen-electric vehicles in 2023. Loop will work with the companies to enable the production of the vehicles.

Hydrogen-electric trucks can provide benefits such as extended range, lighter weight and fast refueling, with fuel cell-powered vehicles an appealing zero-emissions solution. Loop’s fuel cell products utilize proprietary eFlow technology in the fuel cell stack’s bipolar plates – a technology the company said ensures uniform current and power density across the entire active area, increasing gas velocity down the plate to deliver optimal performance and water management, and significant improvements to durability, power and efficiency.

Opex, which has supplied components and infrastructure for battery-electric vehicles for more than a decade, identified fuel cells as a solution for commercial vehicles in Latin America two years ago. Starting with a prototype, it seeks to develop a logistics truck using Loop Energy’s S300 (30 kW; 115 VDC-235 VDC output voltage range) fuel cell as a range extender. Once built, the truck is expected to be trialed by a local fleet operator to evaluate how the technology can be deployed in larger truck applications.

Avia Ingeniería plans to also apply Loop’s 30 kW fuel cell as a range extender in a tractor-trailer transport truck. The truck is a part of the ShineFleet project, which features various Spanish technology and engineering companies including Técnicas Reunidas. The aim of the pilot is to demonstrate the feasibility of hydrogen technology and educate fleet operators on how to scale a fleet. A logistics fleet operator is expected to integrate the truck into its service routes once it is operational in 2023.

“We’ve seen positive growth when it comes to using fuel cells in medium-duty electric trucks,” said George Rubin, chief commercial officer, Loop Energy. “Our team continues to identify manufacturers and fleet operators committed to the deployment of hydrogen-electric fleets worldwide. It is great to see Opex and Avia Ingeniería setting a positive example in their respective markets.”

The addition of the two companies as customers expands Loop Energy’s presence in the European market and establishes its first relationship in the emerging South American market.