Symbio and Savage Cos. Complete Hydrogen Fuel Cell Drayage Truck Prototype

Hydrogen drivetrain developer Symbio and new partner Savage Companies have completed work on a new H2 fuel cell electric drayage truck which will be put into commercial operation soon.

The two companies only formalized their partnership last year and started work immediately on completing the 4x2 HFCE vehicle, which they tout as the lightest zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) in its category. The ZEV drayage truck weighs about 17,000 pounds and is now fully commissioned.

The hydrogen and fuel cell energy density is equivalent to that of diesel-powered vehicles, the companies say. It can be refueled in 15 minutes.

“The launch of this fleet marks a major step forward in how we operate in the region,” Tyler Flynn, vice president of procurement for Savage, said in a statement. “This truck will allow us to reduce our environmental footprint while delivering the same reliability and performance our customers expect.”

Savage Companies is a trucking, logistics and material handling firm with several subsidiaries across North America and the world.

Fuel cell technology converts natural gas or hydrogen into electricity through a contained electrochemical process. HFCE vehicles do not produce carbon emissions at the point of use.

The Symbio-Savage HFCE prototype includes hydrogen storage tanks produced by FORVIA and provides 34 kilograms of onboard H2 storage capacity. This particular new model is a Mack Anthem-based prototype with Symbio’s full hydrogen driveline.

“Delivering this truck is a proud moment for our engineering and integration team,” said Rick Breunesse, Business Development Director and Technical Advisor at Symbio North America. “This vehicle is specifically designed around a use case which benefits from electrification, quick refueling time and diesel weight parity, this package has it all.”