U.S. Hybrid Corp. (Booth 1827), a Torrance, Calif.-based developer of electrified commercial vehicle powertrains, has begun co-developing hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric trucks with China’s Dongfeng Motor Corp.
The trucks, in multiple weight classes, are designed for global markets with the initial model, a Class 6 delivery truck, to be marketed initially in the U.S., Abas Goodarzi, U.S. Hybrid’s chief executive, told Trucks.com at the ACT Expo conference in Long Beach, Calif.
The U.S. truck will be launched later this year. Buyers will be able to specify the type of powertrain —hydrogen fuel cell or battery-electric. Pricing and other details have not yet been announced.
The Dongfeng-branded Class 6 truck will have up to 300 miles of range with U.S. Hybrid’s FCe80 hydrogen fuel cell system, Goodarzi said.
The battery-electric version will deliver more than 150 miles of range and will use a U.S. Hybrid electric drive system with a rechargeable battery pack rated at more than 100 kilowatt-hours, he said.
“The Dongfeng-branded Class 6 truck will have up to 300 miles of range with U.S. Hybrid’s FCe80 hydrogen fuel cell system,” said Abas Goodarzi, CEO, U.S. Hybrid.
Dongfeng is one of China’s major passenger and commercial vehicle companies. Its Special Vehicles division is one the world’s largest builders of hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric trucks, with more than 64,000 of its battery-electric trucks operating in China today, Goodarzi said.
U.S. Hybrid sees ties with companies such as Dongfeng as the fastest way to broaden its presence in China and globally.
The company was started and now has a fuel cell production plant in Connecticut, and a servo motor, automation, robotics and semiconductor products facility in Massachusetts.
