Hydrogen-as-a-service (HaaS) provider Hydra Energy has signed new deals with eight new commercial truck fleets in Canada’s Prince George, British Columbia, region. This represents 82 Class 8 trucks to be retrofitted using Hydra’s hydrogen-diesel, co-combustion conversion technology.
Once converted by Hydra installation partner First Truck Centre, these trucks will refuel at the hydrogen refueling station Hydra is building in Prince George. The station, which will be operational in 2024, leverages green hydrogen produced on-site by two 5-megawatt electrolyzers powered with hydroelectricity.
“Upon signing our first commercial fleet customer in Prince George and breaking ground on our local refueling station last year, we had an initial goal to secure 65 heavy-duty trucks to leverage the new station once operational next year. We’re pleased to surpass this target with the signing of these eight fleets highlighting the continued interest in hydrogen trucking and the benefits it delivers for fleets of all sizes, even with heavy payloads in challenging weather and road conditions like those found in Northern B.C.,” Hydra Energy CEO Jessica Verhagen said in a press release. “Securing immediate offtakers for our station’s low-carbon hydrogen is another critical piece in our Prince George HaaS blueprint illustrating to potential investors and licensees how hydrogen supply and demand can profitably come together. We look forward to working with First Truck Centre to start converting these trucks about six months prior to our station’s opening and to continuing to work with the City of Prince George as the flagship stop in the Western Canadian Hydrogen Corridor we’re building between the B.C. Coast and Edmonton.”
See also: Moving into a cleaner transportation future
The eight companies who have signed MOUs represent a range of fleet sizes and types of heavy-duty trucks. Arrow Transportation Systems, for instance, which specializes in bulk commodity, reload operations, and freight management services in North America, signed the MOU. According to Jacob Adams, Arrow’s manager of optimization and sustainability, the carrier “is excited about the potential opportunity to collaborate with Hydra on hydrogen-converted trucks.”
Annie Horning, CEO of Excel Transportation, a Prince George-based transport and logistic service company for the forestry industry who also signed an MOU, added: “Once we heard about the progress Hydra has been making on their hydrogen refueling station right in our own backyard, the fact their hydrogen wouldn’t cost us more than diesel, and that it would cost nothing to retrofit our trucks to run cleaner and more efficiently, we couldn’t pass on the opportunity. Hydra allows us to make a positive difference sooner than later while eliminating our range anxiety concerns that could impact our service reliability.”
Hydra’s Service Delivery Lead, Ilya Radetski, also pointed out that in addition to Arrow and Excel, the company also signed MOUs with Edgewater Holdings, Wilson Bros. Enterprises, Burke Purdon Enterprises, Godsoe Contracting, Keis Trucking, and Peace Valley Industries who all service the Prince George and Northern B.C. region.
“We also continue to have ongoing discussions with additional local fleets who are keen to explore how hydrogen can benefit them,” Radetski noted.
