LAS VEGAS—Hydrogen has fueled vehicles for years, with development still ongoing in the light-duty and consumer segments. While the trucking industry has toyed around with the idea of hydrogen-powered rigs, it has gained less traction than other technologies, such as battery-electric trucks. But that doesn’t mean industry stakeholders are giving up.
Even its most enthusiastic cheerleaders will admit that hydrogen has its challenges. A main challenge is its infrastructure. PowerTech Labs wants to change that. The hydrogen testing, research, and innovation development company announced its mobile hydrogen fueling trailer at ACT Expo here in Las Vegas, which brings hydrogen fuel directly to fleet vehicles.
“Across hydrogen mobility projects, we consistently see the same constraints: Demand is growing, but safe, flexible, cost-effective hydrogen delivery has not always kept pace,” Pierre Poulain, PowerTech Labs president and CEO, said to a group of media during a press conference. “What's been missing is a safe and scaled distribution solution that matches the reality. … That gap is what we set out to address with the trailer.”
PowerTech Labs’ mobile fueling solution, the high-capacity smart hydrogen tube trailer, is built with practicality in mind, designed to “operate in an environment where hydrogen is actually being used,” Poulain said. Therefore, engineers designed it to deliver 1,050 kg of hydrogen capable of dispensing at 517 bar pressure. Poulain said it has a 100% yield, which means no hydrogen is boiled off as a result of temperature variations. The trailer fills in two hours and fully dispenses in the same.
What makes the trailer smart is its integrated safety features, which Poulain said are at the forefront of its design. The trailer integrates real-time safety oversight and an automated system response so that if any safety parameter thresholds are met, the valves automatically close “immediately, not reactively,” Poulain said.
The trailer can also be paired with a PowerTech Labs hydrogen dispenser, offering fleets a temporary fueling solution without waiting on the construction of permanent hydrogen fueling infrastructure.
“We see the system as a practical bridge supporting the transition from pilot projects toward larger-scale hydrogen infrastructure,” Poulain explained. “In many ways, it functions as a mobile hydrogen pipeline, bringing supply to demand safely and efficiently.”
The trailer is able to deploy anywhere in North America and is available today.
