British trials have started of a heavyweight truck powered by a gas that's lighter than air - and emits nothing but water.
A battery that delivers similar range would weigh several tonnes, reducing the amount of freight that can be carried. And it would currently take several hours to recharge, significant downtime for fleet operators.
Macky Arthur, the prototype's test driver, told Sky News:"You don't have the roar of a diesel vehicle, you don't have the fumes of a diesel vehicle.But hydrogen still has problems as a power source. Making it from green electricity is currently expensive and far less energy efficient than plugging a battery into a charging point.
The Centre for Sustainable Road Freight has calculated that switching all diesel trucks to batteries would need 10.6 GW of electricity - roughly the output of 900 large offshore wind turbines. But a switch to hydrogen would need 35.6GW of electricity to make it - requiring more than three times as many turbines.
Advocates of hydrogen insist that the technology will improve, allowing the gas to be made cheaply at scale.This content is provided by, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enablecookies or to allow those cookies just once.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Brownsea Island: Bird flu confirmed after 600 birds found deadMost of the 600 birds found at the nature reserve were chicks, a wildlife trust says.
Read more »
FP1 British GP: Good first step as Red Bull chase first British GP win since 2012Max Verstappen headed a Red Bull one-two in the opening BritishGP practice session. Williams' Alex Albon though did his best to steal the headlines by clocking the third-fastest time. maxverstappen RedBull Formula1 F1
Read more »
British Gas customers given one-week warning to avoid soaring energy billsFollowing the change to the Ofgem price cap, energy customers are being urged to submit a reading as soon as possible.
Read more »
F1 British Grand Prix: Facial recognition at Silverstone being usedThe technology will be in use at Silverstone to try and stop protesters disrupting the race.
Read more »
British No.1 Katie Boulter wins to equal best Wimbledon run of her careerBREAKING: British No.1 Katie Boulter has equalled the best Wimbledon run of her career after beating Viktoriya Tomova 6-0 3-6 6-3 in the second round on Thursday.
Read more »
British wildcard Liam Broady stuns fourth seed Casper Ruud in Wimbledon shockBREAKING: British wildcard Liam Broady has pulled off the biggest shock at Wimbledon so far after eliminating fourth seed Casper Ruud in the second round.
Read more »