Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has started testing its first fuel-cell articulated hauler prototype, the Volvo HX04. 

The company says the results of the project will provide insights into the possibilities provided by hydrogen and fuel cells as the Swedish group continues research on future product development programmes.

Volvo CE has committed to net-zero value-chain greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, which has seen it speed up its work in sustainable power sources.

“Being inventors of the world’s first articulated hauler more than 55 years ago, we are happy and proud to again drive change with this fuel-cell hauler concept,” says Volvo CE advanced engineering head Carolina Diez Ferrer.

“While an early prototype, this innovation will give valuable insights into the opportunities of hydrogen in the energy transformation, alongside battery-electric solutions.

“We believe that by exploring multiple technologies, and working in partnership, we can create the best path forward to decarbonise the construction industry.”

The Volvo HX04 is the result of a research project running from 2018 to this year, with funding from FFI.

FFI is a collaboration between the Swedish Innovation Agency VINNOVA, the Swedish Energy Agency, and Swedish Transport Administration, as well as a number of automotive manufacturers, with the aim to support sustainable vehicle strategic research, innovation and development. 

Other partners include Volvo CE, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, which provided specialist competence on driveline development and safety, and PowerCell Sweden, a developer of fuel cell-based hydrogen-electric power solutions.

The development and building of the six-wheel prototype has largely been carried out at Volvo CE’s facility in Braås, Sweden – the same location where Gravel Charlie, the world’s first articulated hauler, was born back in 1966, giving the Volvo HX04 the nickname Electric Charlie.

Engineers at the Technology Centre in Eskilstuna, Sweden, have contributed with software development and knowledge gathered through its fuel-cell test lab. 

To support the truck’s test schedule, energy major Shell has installed a hydrogen refuelling station at the test track in Braås. 

Both Shell and Volvo Group are founding members of H2Accelerate, which is a collaboration of companies working to foster conditions for the mass-market roll-out of hydrogen trucks in Europe.

The fuelling process for hydrogen vehicles is fast – the Volvo HX04 is charged with 12 kg hydrogen in around 7.5 minutes, enabling it to operate for roughly four hours.