CEVA Logistics, a global leader in third-party logistics based in France, said it will test one of the first hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) heavy-duty trucks on the market, in partnership with Toyota Motor Europe (TME).
Designed for TME by Dutch manufacturer VDL Groep, the prototype truck will operate under a five-year contract, decarbonising TME’s supply chain while providing valuable insight into HFC performance.
CEVA will own the prototype and integrate it into its operations in the second half of 2023. The pilot program will allow CEVA to further evaluate hydrogen fuel cell trucks ahead of the global industrialization of fuel cell technology, which is expected to begin towards the end of the decade.
The purchase of the prototype by CEVA will be partially financed by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport with 383,923.20 euros under the federal funding program “Climate-Friendly Commercial Vehicles and Infrastructure (KsNI)”. The funding program is coordinated by NOW GmbH, applications are approved by the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility.
The fuel cell-hydrogen truck will be assigned to a dedicated flow between two TME sites and will be fueled with hydrogen supplied by existing stations available between the sites. Thanks to the fuel cell truck, CEVA expects to reduce its carbon footprint by at least 690 tons of CO2 during the five-year trial period.
The HFC test is part of CEVA’s efforts to implement a series of initiatives in its ground operations to reduce emissions, by increasing the use of electric vehicles (EV), biogas and biofuels, testing hydrogen fuel cell trucks and others low-carbon trucks and passing full load shipments eligible for its rail solutions.
In addition to testing HFC trucks, the company plans to grow its electric vehicle (EV) fleet to 1,450 units by the end of 2025. CEVA Logistics is part of the CMA CGM Group, which has set a goal of achieving the zero emissions level by 2050.