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Verne receives Alberta Innovates award to demonstrate Class 8 truck powered by cryo-compressed hydrogen
April 2024
Verne’s first-of-a-kind project will demonstrate the performance benefits of cryo-compressed hydrogen fuel for Class 8 trucking and other heavy-duty transportation sectors
Edmonton, Alberta, April 24, 2024 - Verne received a grant from Alberta Innovates to fund the development and demonstration of a Class 8 truck powered by cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH2). Verne’s project will mark the first demonstration of a Class 8 truck powered by CcH2, and will illustrate the performance benefits and decarbonization potential of the technology to key stakeholders in Alberta and beyond.
Verne (San Francisco, CA) is a leading developer of high-density hydrogen storage systems. Verne’s cryo-compressed hydrogen technology stores hydrogen at a maximum hydrogen density of 73 g/L, a 33% improvement over liquid hydrogen and an 87% improvement over 700 bar compressed gas hydrogen, maximizing vehicle range and payload. Verne’s CcH2 system enables over 1,200 kilometers of range, achieving equivalent performance to diesel-trucks and superior performance to available hydrogen and battery electric trucks. The increased density also means that Verne’s storage systems reduce material usage and cost by 50% relative to compressed gas storage systems of equivalent volume.
Through this project, Verne will work with Alberta-based partners to retrofit an existing diesel internal combustion engine truck to run on a blend of diesel and hydrogen (known as a “dual-fuel” combustion engine). Verne will then demonstrate the truck and a proprietary mobile CcH2 refueler with Alberta fleets and other collaborators. This first-of-a-kind project will demonstrate the performance of CcH2 in the rigorous Alberta operating environment and provide key stakeholders – including fleets, truck manufacturers and station developers – with first-hand experience with CcH2 and its benefits over existing options.
Heavy-duty transportation is responsible for 12% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Class 8 trucks are some of the largest polluters, as they haul heavy-payloads and travel long distances each day. Verne is targeting Class 8 trucking as the first market to commercialize its technology, but Verne has also received significant commercial interest from leading partners in aviation, port equipment, mining and hydrogen distribution.
Bav Roy, Verne Co-founder & COO, was present at the Canadian Hydrogen Convention in Edmonton, Alberta for the announcement: “Verne was founded with the mission of decarbonizing heavy-duty transportation. This project is a critical step in demonstrating that Verne’s high-capacity hydrogen systems can play a major role in bringing diesel-like performance to clean transportation. Verne thanks Alberta Innovates and our partners in the region for their strong support.”
This grant was awarded as part of Alberta Innovates’ Hydrogen Centre of Excellence Competition II. Alberta Innovates is an Alberta crown corporation advancing innovation in the province, and the Hydrogen Centre of Excellence was founded to accelerate innovation across the hydrogen value chain in Alberta.
Verne was founded in 2020 to solve the challenge of decarbonizing heavy-duty transportation through high-density hydrogen storage. Last year, Verne announced a CcH2 storage record during stationary demonstration of a 29 kg storage tank at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Verne also completed the first testing of their CcH2 storage system on-board a vehicle as part of their participation in the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program. This demonstration marks the next milestone in Verne’s journey to commercialize their technology and decarbonize heavy-duty transportation.
To learn more about Verne’s efforts to decarbonize heavy-duty transportation, please visit www.verneh2.com.
About Verne
Verne was founded in 2020 to develop high-density hydrogen storage solutions required to decarbonize heavy-duty transportation. Verne’s platform unlocks zero-emission operations in sectors including trucking, off-road, aviation, and hydrogen distribution. Verne is financially supported by leading commercial entities, including Trucks Venture Capital, Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund, Caterpillar VC, Collaborative Fund and Newlab. Verne is also supported by Breakthrough Energy Fellows, the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, Alberta Innovates and other agencies. For more information, visit www.verneh2.com.
Company contact: contact@verneh2.com
