Quantron plans to begin production of a Class 8 fuel cell electric tractor in the United States next year, and has signed a hydrogen fueling agreement with California-based FirstElement Fuel. (quantron)
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Augsburg, Germany – Quantron, a provider of zero-emission commercial vehicle technologies, is rolling out a wide range of electric and fuel cell electric trucks in Europe and plans to bring a Class 8 fuel cell tractor to the North American market next year.
The Germany-based company, which was founded in 2019 as a subsidiary of automotive supplier Haller Group, partners with original equipment manufacturers to equip commercial trucks and buses with electric transmission engines and hydrogen fuel cell systems.
Quantron executives outlined the company’s vision for hydrogen fuel cell technology and provided a tour of the company’s headquarters during a Sept. 8 press conference with North American auto and truck journalists.
In addition to offering zero-emission vehicles, Quantron aims to provide a comprehensive platform for managing the complex ecosystem and partnerships involved in zero-emission mobility and logistics, including vehicle components, hydrogen fueling and electric charging infrastructure, as well as digital support and after-sales services. and financial services.
Quantron founder Andreas Haller (right) speaks with North American business media alongside CEO Michael Perschke (center) and CTO Rene Wohlmann. (Seth Clevenger/Transportation Topics)
“We connect everything – the truck itself, the infrastructure and digital services,” said Andreas Haller, Chairman and Founder of Quantron.
The company is launching a range of heavy and medium duty vehicles in both battery electric and fuel cell electric versions. Fuel cell vehicles use an electric drivetrain but use a hydrogen fuel cell system to store energy instead of relying on the heavy batteries that power battery electric trucks.
While Quantron’s vehicle prototypes have focused on the European market, the company has also outlined its plans to launch a Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell tractor in the US market next year, with a targeted production start in the second quarter.
The conventional cab tractor will be equipped with an Accelera by Cummins e-axle and 80 kilograms of hydrogen storage to provide a 750-mile range at maximum payload and less than 1,000 pounds of payload loss compared to the diesel model.
“Our goal is to be the leader in this range,” said Richard Ansell, Quantron’s vice president of marketing. “Trucking is all about efficiency, and that means maximizing payload, minimizing downtime, and refueling quickly.”
The Quantron also has a “line of sight” to get up to 120 kilograms of tank capacity, which can support a vehicle range of about 1,000 miles, Ansell said.
To build this car, Quantron plans to open a 30,000-square-foot U.S. production facility in Auburn Hills, Michigan, next year.
Quantron’s U.S. operations will be headed by Rick Haas, who previously held senior positions at Ford, Mahindra and Tesla.
Quantron is currently in discussions with truck manufacturers to provide the cab and chassis for the company’s heavy-duty fuel cell truck in North America.
During the press event, the company provided demonstrations of its Quantron QLI fuel cell medium-duty electric truck powered by Ballard Power Systems’ FCmove MD fuel cell power unit. The vehicle offers a range of about 450 kilometers, or 280 miles, and refueling times are similar to the diesel model, Quantron said.
North American automotive journalists ride Quantron’s fuel cell-powered medium-duty electric QLI model at the company’s headquarters in Augsburg, Germany. (quantron)
The company also offered a look at the production process for its Quantron QHM Aero tractor, which offers a range of up to 700 km, or 435 miles, with a hydrogen tank capacity of 54 kg. The tractor does not require any special exceptions to meet European vehicle length restrictions because the fuel cell system components, including the tanks, are located inside the chassis rather than at the rear of the cab.
“Our truck with 54 kg of hydrogen has the same weight as a diesel truck,” said Rene Wohlmann, Quantron’s chief technology officer. “There is no weight gain, so no payload losses.”
He said a battery-electric truck would need battery packs weighing 6-7 tons to store the same amount of energy.
“We like battery electric cars too, but not in the long term,” Wollman said.
For some markets such as Norway that allow for additional tank capacity, Quantron can fill more hydrogen tanks behind the QHM Aero cabin to support a range of up to 1,500 kilometers, or 930 miles, and a refueling time of up to 15 minutes.
The company said it believes its fuel cell electric vehicles can achieve total cost of ownership parity with diesel trucks by 2026.
While factors vary across different markets, the company expects that lower hydrogen costs and government support for zero-emission vehicles will bring total cost of ownership calculations for fuel cell trucks in line with traditional diesel trucks, which will become more expensive over time as manufacturers comply with more stringent regulations. Emission regulations.
Quantron is targeting the same general time frame for TCO parity in Europe and North America, Haller said. He said that although diesel prices are much lower in North America than in Europe, he expects green hydrogen will also be available at a much lower price than in Europe.
The company is also working to address the biggest hurdle to the rollout of fuel cell vehicles: the availability of the hydrogen fueling infrastructure to support them.
“Quantron is here to fundamentally solve the chicken-and-egg problem in the hydrogen economy,” said Michael Perschke, Quantron’s CEO.
Instead of producing green hydrogen itself, Quantron supplies the fuel through agreements with international producers.
In the US, Quantron is partnering with Irvine, California-based FirstElement Fuel, which has an 80% share of the hydrogen fuel market in California.
Shane Stevens, founder of FirstElement, said the company has distributed about 6 million kilograms of retail hydrogen to fuel cell electric vehicles since the company was founded 10 years ago.
Quantron joins a growing list of manufacturers investing in the rollout of hydrogen fuel cell commercial vehicles in North America.
Emerging truck manufacturer Nikola Corp. recently began series production of its fuel cell trucks equipped with Bosch fuel cell modules.
PACCAR, the parent company of Kenworth and Peterbilt, plans to introduce tractors equipped with Toyota’s fuel cell systems, with production scheduled to begin in 2025.
Meanwhile, Daimler Truck and Volvo Trucks are investing in the development of hydrogen fuel cells through their joint venture Cellcentric.
Hyzon Motors and Hyundai are also introducing fuel cell trucks to the North American market.
