August 7, 2019 Vol. 16 No. 16

Dana is playing a key role in a western Canadian project to develop and demonstrate hydrogen fuel-cell electric power in heavy-duty truck use, namely zero-emission trucks with a range of 700 km plus. The company will provide its Spicer Electrified e-Propulsion system with integrated Dana TM4 Sumo HP motor-inverters made in Quebec to power two B-train tractor-trailer units that will move freight year-round between Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta. The trucks are part of the three-year, $15-million Alberta Zero-Emissions Truck Electrification Collaboration (AZETEC) project.

The trucks will be powered by Ballard Power Systems next-generation, proton-exchange membrane fuel-cell engines, integrated along with a lithium-ion battery pack on a Freightliner platform.

Dana’s custom Spicer e-System is optimized for the Canadian market with a hauling capacity of 63,500 kg, the highest-rated electrified drivetrain system for linehaul applications. The system’s compact design reduces weight and allows for more hydrogen fuel storage, while high-speed helical gearing provides greater overall efficiency. Dana’s TM4 Sumo HP motor-inverter system was specifically designed for high-power applications and multi-speed gearboxes (see below for more on Dana TM4).

The trucks, developed for Alberta’s unique operating environment, will be B-train tractor-trailers capable of travelling up to 430 miles (700 km) between refueling, operated by Trimac Transportation and Bison Transport. At the conclusion of the project, the trucks will have carried approximately 12 million tonne-miles of freight. They’re set to be on the road next year.

“That kind of weight will require additional gearing with a multi-speed approach to get the startability needed at low speed and the gradeability needed at mid-speed and top speed,” said Dana’s senior manager for commercial vehicle product planning, Harry Trost.

“We’re leveraging one of the new motors we are developing, the Sumo HP,” he continued. “It produces a power level similar to what that type of Canadian linehaul application would have today, roughly in the 500 to 550 horsepower range. It will have similar performance as those vehicles have today.”

“The tractor-trailers being used in the AZETEC project are the first fuel-cell electric vehicles of this size and capacity to be built and tested anywhere in the world,” said Ballard’s chief commercial officer, Rob Campbell. “We are delighted to expand Ballard’s participation in FCEV truck trials across a growing range of sizes and classes, as we demonstrate the compelling value proposition that fuel cells offer for heavy- and medium-duty motive applications requiring long range, rapid refueling, heavy payloads, and route flexibility.”

THE FUELLING INFRASTRUCTURE for the project will be generated by Praxair Services, leveraging existing oil and gas hydrogen infrastructure and transported under a “drop and swap” model that will move fuel between the Praxair facility and a centralized depot in Edmonton.