At the end of January on the premises of the logistics centre of Rewe Region West in Cologne-Langel: The first own hydrogen fuel cell truck, a Hyundai Xcient Fuel Cell, rolls up at the grocery retailer.
According to Rewe’s projections, the use of this hydrogen truck alone saves around 58 tonnes of CO2 compared to a conventional diesel vehicle. In addition, the company says it is conducting further tests on alternative forms of propulsion in the current year. The aim is to analyse the process-related effects and consumption figures of the individual types of drive. The results of these tests will ultimately form the basis for future decisions on the types of drive in the fleet. This is because Rewe has set itself the goal of being climate-neutral at company level by 2040.
The vehicle has a permissible total weight of 27 tonnes, 18 Euro pallet storage spaces and a range of around 400 kilometres. With the associated refrigeration cell, it can be used like a conventional truck and also deliver refrigerated goods. The H2 truck is fuelled with green-produced hydrogen and is thus 100 per cent emission-free on the road. Consumption is around 8 kilos of hydrogen per 100 kilometres. Refuelling takes place at the nearby H2 filling stations. A full refuelling with 32 kilos of hydrogen takes about 11 minutes.