Hydra Energy has exceeded its goal, landing eight fleets with 82 trucks who will use what it claims will be the world’s largest hydrogen refueling station in Prince George, B.C.
The fueling station is set to go into service next year. Hydra offers fleets a retrofit that replaces about 40% of diesel consumption with low-cost hydrogen. Its installation partner First Truck Centre will handle the retrofits for the eight new fleets to install the system.
The fueling station will serve up green hydrogen produced on-site using two five-megawatt electrolysers powered by hydroelectricity, Hydra said in a release. It claims the deal will make it the largest commercial deployment of hydrogen-diesel co-combustion transport vehicles in the world.
“Upon signing our first commercial fleet customer in Prince George and breaking ground on our local refueling station last year, we had an initial goal to secure 65 heavy-duty trucks to leverage the new station once operational next year,” said Hydra Energy CEO Jessica Verhagen.
“We’re pleased to surpass this target with the signing of these eight fleets highlighting the continued interest in hydrogen trucking and the benefits it delivers for fleets of all sizes, even with heavy payloads in challenging weather and road conditions like those found in Northern B.C.”
8 participating fleets
Participating fleets include Arrow Transportation Systems, Excel Transportation, Edgewater Holdings, Wilson Bros. Enterprises, Burke Purdon Enterprises, Godsoe Contracting, Keis Trucking, and Peace Valley Industries.
Hydra says the fleet offtakers under contract complete the loop; Hydra now has an installation partner, hydrogen production capabilities, and a hydrogen refueling station. It will look to repeat the template in other jurisdictions.
“This forms an easily reproducible template for licensing companies along the hydrogen value chain who want to see their hydrogen supply or infrastructure come to market at scale in the most profitable way possible, in Canada and beyond,” said Hydra’s service delivery lead, Ilya Radetski.