Hydrogen Trucks: An Answer to Zero Emission Heavy Trucking?

By Rich Cowan, Staff Writer

Editor’s Note: Women Driving Change magazine recently attended a free webinar hosted by the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) on the topic of From Concept to Road: North America’s 140,000 lb Hydrogen Truck Engineered for Real-World Operations. To learn about future PMTC events, seminars, and webinars, click here: https://www.pmtc.ca/

As Canada’s trucking industry confronts growing pressure to decarbonize without sacrificing productivity, reliability, or payload capacity, the move towards hydrogen fuel cell technology is increasingly becoming a factor. This is particularly true for heavy-duty applications where electric vehicle (EV) solutions encounter significant practicality limitations. The reality of those limitations, along with the potential answer to them was at the centre of a recent webinar hosted by the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC).

The session, moderated by PMTC president Mike Millian, featured Elemental Trucks, a Toronto-based startup and its hydrogen-electric Class 8 prototype. It was geared towards operators, industry stakeholders, and technology specialists to explain more about the engineering, operational, and economic realities of hydrogen trucks – moving beyond the hype to address real-world trade-offs. The webinar aimed to give a detailed look at why hydrogen may offer a realistic path forward for Canada’s heavy truck industry, particularly in the areas of long-haul, mountainous, and extreme-weather operations.

Why Look at Hydrogen?

Millian began the webinar by going through its purpose: to educate, not to sell. With hydrogen and electric trucks attracting growing attention along with a fair share of scrutiny – the goal was to give fleets a clearer understanding of how design decisions are made, what matters operationally, and how different zero-emission technologies make sense.

He then introduced Jamie Ally, CEO of Elemental Trucks, and Frederic Delrieu, COO, both sharing decades of experience in heavy-duty electric, hydrogen fuel cells, and advanced vehicle engineering, including work on early hydrogen bus projects and large-scale renewable energy systems.

Zero-Emission Options

Delrieu began with an overview of the zero-emission technologies available to bring about the decarbonization of the trucking industry. At a high level, fleets can choose between battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and hydrogen-based systems, which include fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and hydrogen internal combustion engines (H₂-ICE). While hydrogen H₂-ICE options reduce carbon emissions, they are not strictly zero-emission due to nitrogen oxide output, He noted, “But it is not exactly zero emissions. The engine will produce nitrogen oxide.” This makes fuel cells the primary focus for long-term decarbonization.

A critical reality, he noted, is hydrogen’s carbon footprint depends heavily on how it is produced. “In Canada, we speak mostly of green hydrogen, when produced from electrolysis of hydro electricity, and blue or turquoise hydrogen, when hydrogen is made from methane with carbon capture.” He went on, “Also, we hear more and more about white hydrogen, which is a geological hydrogen that is extracted from the ground.”

Why Hydrogen Makes Sense for Heavy Trucks

From Elemental’s perspective, hydrogen offers distinct advantages for heavy-duty operations. Ally emphasized that while battery-electric trucks work well in certain cases, they do face certain challenges – particularly when fleets require long range, fast turnaround, and high payloads.

One area of concern is range anxiety. Even when BEVs have sufficient range, drivers often use only a portion of it to maintain a buffer, reducing effective productivity. In contrast, hydrogen trucks, can refuel quickly and offer predictable range similar to their diesel counterparts. “Most studies show that the limited range of battery electric vehicles usually make drivers feel some range anxiety,” he explains, “which makes them use only a fraction of the range of the vehicle. This is not the case with hydrogen vehicles.”

Cost is also a factor to consider. While off-peak electricity can be inexpensive, fast charging, usually on a megawatt-level required for heavy trucks, can drive energy costs above diesel equivalents. Hydrogen, even at prices often quoted around $12 per kilogram in Canada, can be cost-competitive when considering factors such as fueling speed and vehicle utilization.

The comparison is significant: Ally states, “One minute of hydrogen refueling can provide roughly 40 minutes of driving time, versus eight minutes for megawatt battery charging or just three minutes at lower charging rates.” For fleets where uptime is critical, this difference matters.

The costs of infrastructure further influence the bottom line. Battery-electric fleets often require expensive grid upgrades, where hydrogen fueling stations become more cost-effective when shared across multiple vehicles with extensive use. Ally notes, “On the infrastructure side, hydrogen is also a more scalable solution. When utilizing EV options, companies must improve their grid connection, which can generate very high costs, whereas hydrogen can really decrease costs when assets are used to refuel a lot of vehicles.”

Lessons from the AZETEC Project

Elemental’s roots trace back to the Alberta-led Alberta Zero-Emission Truck Electrification Collaboration (AZETEC) program, which demonstrated the feasibility of electrifying ultra-heavy trucks of up to 63 tonnes gross combined weight (GCW).

Working with partners including Ballard Power Systems, the Elemental team helped to bring hydrogen fuel cells and high-pressure storage into a working heavy-haul prototype. While AZETEC was a proof-of-concept, it revealed two critical outcomes: technical validation and market insight. Ally stated, “The whole purpose of that program was to show that it could be done, because nobody else was really trying to electrify trucks with that combined weight rating. It also opened our eyes to this amazing market that we stepped into.”

Fleet operators soon began asking the question, “When can we buy one?” At the time, OEM options topped out at around 80,000 pounds – far below the needs of Canada’s heavy-haul, resource, and vocational sectors. That gap directly led to the formation of Elemental Trucks.

Introducing the Elemental Alpha HD+

At the heart of the presentation was Elemental’s current prototype: the Alpha HD+, a hydrogen-electric Class 8 tractor designed for up to 63.5 tonnes GCW. Built on a Peterbilt 567 chassis manufactured in Quebec, the truck represents an evolution rather than an experimental one-off. Ally notes, “We chose that platform because we could use it in all these different applications.”

Key specifications include:

• 550 kW electric drivetrain
• 360 kW fuel cell system
• 200 kWh battery buffer
• 700-bar Type IV hydrogen storage
• True 6×4 configuration with three-speed transmission

Unlike many electric trucks, Elemental chose a central motor and conventional driveline. This decision was driven by torque requirements: Ally notes, “What we usually find is that the axles that are available out there are simply not powerful enough for a 63-ton truck.”

The result is a truck capable of starting on a 14% grade at full load, which is an extraordinary requirement that directly addresses the needs of Canadian mountain operations.

Payload and Total Cost of Ownership

One of the most compelling aspects of the Alpha HD+ is its payload. At 140,000 pounds, Elemental’s truck can carry nearly double the load of competing zero-emission trucks, which need to sacrifice capacity due to massive battery packs.

While absolute operating costs may not be the lowest on a per-vehicle basis, Ally argued that total cost of ownership (TCO) per tonne-kilometre is where the truck excels. Essentially, the ability to move more freight per trip with zero emissions changes the economic equation.

Elemental does not publish TCO figures, acknowledging that inputs vary widely by operation. Instead, the company offers to work directly with fleets using their own data. This approach reflects the complexity of real-world operations.

Energy Management and Mountain Performance

A recurring theme throughout the webinar was intelligent energy management. In Elemental’s design, the fuel cell is the primary energy source, while the battery is utilized as a buffer – maintaining around a 50% state of charge to allow both regenerative braking and power boosts.

On flat terrain, the fuel cells directly power the motors. During climbs, the battery supplements the fuel cell to reach peak output. On descents, regenerative braking recharges the battery – up to a point.

For long, steep descents where batteries are quickly charged, Elemental employs high-voltage resistive retarders that safely dissipate excess energy as heat. This system functions like a silent engine brake, improving safety and durability while complying with noise restrictions.

Ally describes the use of challenging routes such as British Columbia’s Coquihalla Highway as benchmarks. In tests, Elemental demonstrated that the Alpha HD+ can maintain highway speeds under heavy loads, which is something no other zero-emission truck can claim at this point.

Cooling and Cold-Weather Readiness

Ally noted, “Hydrogen fuel cells operate at lower temperatures than diesel engines, creating unique cooling challenges.” Elemental addressed this with an over-cab radiator system that captures clean airflow and provides sufficient heat rejection without compromising aerodynamics.

Cold weather, an unavoidable reality in Canada, was also addressed head-on. The truck can operate down to -25°C without external power, though warm-up time requires does increase. When plugged in overnight, start-up times drop to minutes. For extreme conditions below -25°C, additional warming strategies are required – similar to block heaters on diesel trucks.

Maturity of Safety Standards

A major concern for fleets considering hydrogen is safety. Elemental emphasized that hydrogen vehicle standards are “mature”, drawing on decades of experience from the transit bus, natural gas, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sectors.

The truck incorporates:

• Certified Type IV pressure vessels
• Continuous leak detection
• Automatic pressure relief and venting
• Redundant shutoff systems
• Real-time telematics and fault monitoring

Drivers, technicians, and fueling operators require training, but the operational requirements are comparable to compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquified natural gas (LNG) systems which are already in use.

Funding Options

The webinar concluded with a look at different funding opportunities. Ontario’s Hydrogen Innovation Fund, which offers up to 50% support, was highlighted as particularly time-sensitive, alongside other programs in Alberta and British Columbia. Federal and provincial incentives can often be combined, significantly improving affordability.

Elemental invited interested fleets to visit its Toronto facility to see the prototype firsthand and explore pilot deployments.

A Canadian-Built Answer to a Canadian Problem

In closing, the Elemental Trucks webinar underscored a critical point: decarbonizing heavy trucking is not a one-size-fits-all challenge. For Canada’s heaviest loads, longest distances, and harshest conditions, hydrogen fuel cell trucks may offer a practical, scalable solution where batteries alone fall short.

Rather than chasing mass-market volumes, Elemental has focused on a specific niche – one defined by weight, terrain, and productivity. If early performance claims pan out, that niche may prove to be one of the most important competitions in the transition to zero-emission freight.