Stellantis is getting ready to enter the hydrogen powered industrial automobile market with gasoline cell variations of the Peugeot e-Expert and Citroen e-Dispatch, at present obtainable as battery electrical fashions solely.
Small scale manufacturing of the vans will begin in late 2021 and they are going to be obtainable to pick prospects in France and Germany. Each manufacturers plan to judge the use case and adoption of the vans over the following two years, with the opportunity of a wider scale launch together with the UK by late 2023.
Stellantis says the hydrogen know-how underpinning the vans offers the Peugeot e-Expert and Citroen e-Dispatch a most vary of 400km (round 250 miles), whereas refueling occasions are similar to that of a diesel van at round three minutes.
The 50kWh battery has been changed with three tanks that may carry 4.4kg of hydrogen, whereas there’s a ten.5kWh battery underneath the seats which will be charged independently of the gasoline cell.
The battery can retailer sufficient electrical energy for a most vary of 31 miles which needs to be simply sufficient to get you to the closest hydrogen gasoline station in the event you dwell within the metropolis. Nonetheless, the battery’s placement within the cabin means the hydrogen vans will solely be obtainable with two seats up entrance, somewhat than the same old three.
The hydrogen system powers the identical 134bhp electrical motor as Peugeot and Citroen’s customary vans and high velocity is 81mph. Carrying capability stays the identical with a most payload of 800kg and a towing weight of round one tonne, whereas the load bay gives an similar 5.3 cubic metres of area on the usual wheelbase variant.
Richard Meyer, Stellantis’s Vice President for Gentle Industrial Autos Technique & Worldwide Improvement talked us via the engineering course of for the hydrogen gasoline cell know-how. “We began three years in the past to review this query and our engineers discovered a wise strategy to introduce the elements for this technique inside the present automobile.”
Meyer informed us the powertrain isn’t a spotlight for the corporate’s passenger automobiles, however gasoline cell tech might be utilized in minibus variations of the vans.
“We’re working now to increase the provide to passenger variations [of the van] as properly, as a result of it will be related as properly for some type of shuttle or issues like that. However , say, non-public prospects or passenger automotive prospects, we contemplate this as not a precedence.”
When pressed on the matter of worth, Meyer informed us: “I’m not in a position to present concise figures at present.
“However, in the event you have a look at the worth of the present hydrogen autos – Toyota and Hyundai as an illustration – it offers you an order of magnitude of the extent of hole [between pure-electric and hydrogen technology].”
Stellantis says it’s attempting to maintain prices as little as attainable by utilizing its current van tech and bringing in hydrogen consultants to speed up its growth. The agency is specializing in whole value of possession (TCO) and attempting to draw as many companies on board from the begin to assist cut back prices.
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