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HYDROGEN COACHES ON TRACK FOR AUSSIE MINING USE

BREAKING: Touted as the world’s first coach fleet of its type, Hyzon Motor’s ‘Road Warrior’ hydrogen-powered coaches passed durability testing for an Australian mining company, completing a 15,000-kilometre run before use in a harsh, remote region of Western Australia, Hyzon confirms.

The achievement keeps delivery of 10 Hyzon coaches on schedule, with testing for Fortescue Metals Group showcasing capabilities of the zero-emission, hydrogen fuel-cell coach up to an 800km range, the company explains.

Hyzon-Fortescue’s collaboration is the latest sign of increasing industrial, commercial support of hydrogen in $87.5 billion global coach-bus market, Hyzon states.

The completed 15,000km durability test of its mining transport coaches was a key tryout before one of the world’s largest iron-ore producers uses the vehicles in the remote WA Pilbara region, the company says.

Hyzon is a leading global supplier of zero-emission, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, from which Fortescue Metals Group has contracted for up to 10 of its custom-built coaches for use in the Christmas Creek mining hub – where summer temperatures commonly exceed 110 degrees, it explains.

The endurance road test demonstrated the capability, effectiveness and strength of fuel-cell stacks being discharged and recharged repetitively in harsh conditions, Hyzon states.

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HARSH LANDSCAPE

Hyzon CEO Craig Knight says passing the durability phase – the equivalent of driving more than seven times straight from New York to Miami – demonstrated anew that its vehicles are clean, powerful and uniquely suited for long-haul and high-utilisation, back-to-base transport. The coaches have a range up to 800km before refuelling, it should be noted.

“We applaud Fortescue Metals Group for its continued commitment to a zero-emission future and we look forward to playing a key role in its transition to hydrogen mobility,” Knight said.

“The Pilbara region – one of the most prolific mining areas of Australia and the world – is a harsh landscape.

“Our coaches can handle the rugged terrain, and hydrogen technology can serve as a viable alternative to traditional commercial mobility in even the toughest parts of the globe,” Knight stated.

At current estimates, Australia has about 2,000 coaches and the Hyzon vehicles will be the first in the country using hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology, Hyzon explains.

The global coach and bus market tops $87.5 billion, it adds.

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PUBLIC LISTING

The Hyzon-Fortescue collaboration is the latest sign of increasing industrial and commercial transition to hydrogen mobility and it comes as New York-based Hyzon readies for a public listing soon on Nasdaq via business combination with Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: DCRB).

Fortescue expressed interest in Hyzon’s proprietary fuel-cell technology using hydrogen gas – for which emissions are limited to water vapour – to replace a fleet of diesel vehicles for transporting workers around remote mining sites, the companies reveal.

The switch is an integral part of the resource company’s plans to reduce emissions, diversify its energy mix and become carbon neutral by 2030, it states.

The Hyzon coaches for Fortescue will mark the world’s first hydrogen-powered coach fleet, it confirms.

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ABOUT FORTESCUE

A proud West Australian company, Fortescue Metals Group is a global leader in the iron ore industry, recognised for its culture, innovation and industry-leading development of world-class infrastructure and mining assets, it states.

Underpinned by its strong operating performance and balance sheet, Fortescue is reinvesting in the business, returning capital to shareholders and investing in growth, it explains.

Together with Fortescue Future Industries, it is “…focused on supporting the global energy transition, harnessing the world’s renewable energy sources to produce green hydrogen and develop other green industry opportunities.”

Photography: courtesy Hyzon Motors

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