Fuel Cell Commercial Vehicle Growth Opportunities-Light, Medium, and Heavy-duty Trucks

Fuel Cell Commercial Vehicle Growth Opportunities-Light, Medium, and Heavy-duty Trucks



Electrification in trucking is gaining momentum as a Mega Trend, with new mobility models shaping the industry’s future. Various sub-trends within electric vehicles (EVs), such as battery EVs (BEVs) and FCEVs, are increasingly popular as emission norms become stricter and the focus on achieving cleaner forms of goods transportation is higher. The prominence of battery electric trucks is suitable for selected applications, but range limitation and battery weight compromising the load-carrying capacity are seen as hindering features. Truck manufacturers and policymakers increasingly consider hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks a viable equivalent to battery electric trucks as hydrogen offers a longer range and minimum refueling time, similar to diesel trucks.

Grey hydrogen produced from fossil fuels is a major type of hydrogen available in the market. The hydrogen industry is transitioning to blue hydrogen, where carbon is captured, reducing emissions from hydrogen production. Governments and private enterprises globally invest in green hydrogen production as they find adopters in the transportation sector and steel production. The current cost of green hydrogen production is very high, making ownership of fuel cell trucks unviable. However, policies and incentives announced in various markets support the long-term adoption of fuel cell trucks. Overall, the trucking industry is at a crossroads in determining the choice of zero emission powertrain for required applications with no one-size-fits-all solution.

Truck manufacturers and startups form partnerships with technical research organizations and government entities to explore innovative solutions for enhancing fuel cell performance. Fossil fuel companies and renewable energy companies explore efficient distribution networks for hydrogen supply across regions and aim for the use of tanker shipments or pipeline infrastructure to make hydrogen readily accessible at affordable prices at refueling stations. Governments promote localized hydrogen production to mitigate energy losses associated with hydrogen transportation. Several truck makers’ fuel cell electric trucks are in the trial phase and have launched in limited numbers, with more models in the development phase. They are set to commence trials and large-scale commercialization within this decade. Robust supply chains will be vital for manufacturers to achieve the required production volumes when market demand for fuel cell trucks surges. When companies target decreasing their fleets’ emissions, they will need to promote zero emission trucks as a practical option for their customers. Fuel cell trucks appear to be a promising choice for goods transportation; therefore, businesses must speed up their technological decisions and product development efforts to validate the performance of these vehicles.


  • Strategic Imperatives
    • Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow?
    • The Strategic Imperative 8
    • The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Fuel Cell (FC) Truck Industry
    • Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline Engine
  • Growth Opportunity Analysis
    • Scope of Analysis
    • Product and Powertrain Segmentation
    • Research Aims and Objectives
    • Adoption of FC Electric Trucks and Vans by Region
    • Adoption of FC Electric Trucks and Vans by Segment
    • Key Global Manufacturers and Start-ups
    • Summary of the FC Truck Market-Global
    • Growth Drivers
    • Growth Restraints
    • Main Forecast Criteria
    • FC Truck Market Size
    • Forecast Discussion
  • Growth Environment
    • H2 Ecosystem Overview
    • H2 and FC Research Spending
    • Comparison of H2 FC Technologies
    • Type of H2 as Fuel in Trucks-Overview
    • FC Truck-Simplified Powertrain Layout
  • H2-Production, Infrastructure, and Policy Overview
    • Types of H2-Production Methods
    • Different Stages in H2 Refueling
    • H2-focused Government Investments-Global
    • Key H2 Mobility Projects in Europe
    • Provincial Policies for H2 in China
  • Light Commercial FC Vehicles Overview
    • LD FCEV Regional Focus-Selected OEMs
    • LD FCEV Models-North America and Europe
    • LD FCEV Models-China and Others
    • LD FCEV Application Focus-Prominent OEMs
    • OEM LD Product Launch Roadmap-North America and Europe
    • OEM LD Product Launch Roadmap-China and Others
  • LD FC Vehicles-OEM Profiles
    • Stellantis-LD FCEV Strategy and Roadmap
    • Renault-LD FCEV Strategy and Roadmap
    • Toyota-LD FCEV Strategy and Roadmap
    • First Hydrogen-LD FCEV Strategy and Roadmap
  • Medium and Heavy Commercial FC Vehicles Overview
    • M&HD FCEV Regional Focus-Selected OEMs
    • M&HD FCEV Application Focus-Prominent OEMs
    • M&HD FCEV Models-North America
    • M&HD FCEV Models-Europe
    • M&HD FCEV Models-China
    • OEM M&HD Product Launch Roadmap-North America
    • OEM M&HD Product Launch Roadmap-Europe
    • OEM M&HD Product Launch Roadmap-China
  • M&HD FC Vehicles-OEM Profiles
    • Daimler-M&HD FCEV Strategy and Roadmap
    • Volvo-M&HD FCEV Strategy and Roadmap
    • Paccar-M&HD FCEV Strategy and Roadmap
    • Traton-M&HD FCEV Strategy and Roadmap
    • Hyundai-M&HD FCEV Strategy and Roadmap
    • Market Development Trends-M&HD FC Trucks
  • FC Ecosystem Players
    • Value Chain Ecosystem Players
    • Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations
    • FC Solutions by Key Suppliers-North America and Europe
    • FC Solutions by Key Suppliers-China and Others
  • Total Cost of Ownership
    • Parameters/Assumptions-HD Long Haul, North America
    • TCO-HD Long Haul, North America
    • Cost per Mile Components-HD Long Haul, North America
    • Parameters/Assumptions-HD Long Haul, Europe
    • TCO-HD Long Haul, Europe
    • Cost per Mile Components-HD Long Haul, Europe
  • Growth Opportunity Universe
    • Growth Opportunity 1-Actions to Reduce Cost of FC Technology for Broader Adoption
    • Growth Opportunity 2-H2 Infrastructure Expansion Crucial to FC Truck Growth
    • Growth Opportunity 3-FC Truck Usage in Segments and Applications that Enable Wider Adoption
  • Appendix
    • Abbreviations
  • Next Steps
    • Your Next Steps
    • Why Frost, Why Now?

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