image
1

Gothenburg's hydrogen powered garbage truck, Source: Renova

Gothenburg has Sweden’s first hydrogen garbage truck

Gothenburg has Sweden’s first hydrogen garbage truck

A self-sufficient vehicle that cleans trash rather than produces it

Since the month of June, Sweden’s first hydrogen-powered garbage truck has been rolling on the streets of Gothenburg. Its propulsion, loading and waste compaction operations all take place thanks to electricity produced in fuel cells. 

The heat generated from the reaction is used to heat the cab. It is completely silent and only releases water – in other words, it deals with trash without producing any of its own!

Waste collection services in that city have been fossil-free since 2015

Renova (the municipal waste management company), Powercell Sweden AB, Scania and JOAB have been working together to develop the car since the autumn of 2019. Work got delayed in the following year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the result is finally here.

The truck will pick up recycled materials from companies and businesses in Gothenburg. For Gothenburgers, the hydrogen vehicle means better air quality because it only emits clean water. Electric operation is also quiet, which increases the quality of life for those who live in the area and provides a better working environment for those driving the truck.

The development of electrified vehicles is about being at the forefront when it comes to safety, the environment and technical development. Since 2015, all of our 250 heavy vehicles run on fossil-free fuel and in 2019, a fully electric garbage truck began driving in central Gothenburg,” explained Anders Åström, CEO of Renova.  

What is more, the truck gets all the benefits that come with electrification while retaining some of the benefits of fossil fuels, such as range, uptime and load capacity.

The hydrogen truck, unlike other heavy vehicles with electricity, needs much less battery capacity. This means that it has all the advantages of an electric truck while also having the same load capacity as a conventional diesel vehicle,” added Hans Zackrisson, head of vehicle development at Renova.

Newsletter

Back

Growing City

All

Smart City

All

Green City

All

Social City

All

New European Bauhaus

All

Interviews

All

ECP 2021 Winner TheMayorEU

Latest