British Tevva hydrogen truck manages 560 km driving range

British zero-emission truck manufacturer Tevva has completed a range test with its hydrogen-electric medium-heavy truck. Driving in wintery conditions between London and the northernmost tip of England, the Tevva truck reached a range of 563 km, proving its usefulness in medium-range cargo transport.

Tevva Motors was founded in 2013 by the Israeli-American Asher Bennett, who wants to decarbonize the truck market with a two-pronged approach, offering both battery-electric and hydrogen-electric-powered trucks. According to Tevva, this approach covers 98% of the medium to heavy transport market.

Batteries or hydrogen

Currently, Tevva only has a 7,5-ton truck that it offers with both powertrain options. The BEV version has a range of 170 km on average (227 km max) thanks to a 105 kWh battery; the FCEV version reaches 428 km on average (570 km max) thanks to a hydrogen fuel cell range extender with a 9 kg tank capacity.

In terms of payload, the Tevva truck only reaches up to 2 942 kg for the BEV version, dropping to 2 718 kg for the FCEV. Comparable 7,5-ton diesel trucks can reach over 4 tons in terms of payload, so the Tevva truck is more suited for lighter payloads delivered to city centers.

Charging takes up to five hours, too, due to the lack of DC fast charging, with only a 22 kW AC onboard charger, although the hydrogen tanks fill up quicker.

Production of BEV truck has started

With this 563 km stint during the winter test drive, Tevva does prove the promised range is more than just that. Back in January, the company received European vehicle type approval for its 7,5-ton battery-electric truck, meaning it can start up its production lines and deliver the first batch of trucks to customers, including Royal Mail.

Tevva hopes to sell 1 000 electric trucks in 2023, with the hydrogen option to follow later this year.