The Volvo HX04 Prototype at CONEXPO 2023, Las Vegas NV.

Among other exciting finds at CONEXPO 2023, Volvo brough out their newest green machine. The HX04 Articulated Dump Truck, powered by hydrogen fuel cells. This bad boy isn't the only first for Volvo. The company actually invented the first Articulated Dump Truck in 1966, the 10-ton hauler nicknamed "Gravel Charlie." Since the new ADT has been developed in the same place as the original Gravel Charlie, in Braås, Sweden, this new ADT has been dubbed "Electric Charlie." 

Volvo's HX04, the First Hydrogen Powered ADT

Volvo focused the design on hydrogen-electric fuel cell technology, developed by a Swedish company FuelCell Sweden AB. The cells create energy from heat using hydrgen fuel and oxygen from the air. This negates the need to plug into a charger, as electicity is created from the reaction of the oxygen and hydrogen. 

These fuel cells capture the chemical energy from the hydrogen and oxygen molecules combining to create water. Clean water is the only emission from the machine, released as vapor, Volvo says. Heat from the reaction in the fuel cells can be used to heat the cab as well. This six-wheeled prototype weighs 35 tons, and can be filed with 26 pounds of hydrogen in about 7.5 minutes, going around 4 hours between refuels. 

When will this prototype be a reality? 

Commercialization of hydrogen-powered machines is expected during the second half of the decade, Volvo says. They've set a goal of achieving net-zero value chain greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. 

 

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