Hydrogen nearly quintuples range of Lapland research truck

Lapland University of Applied Sciences has tested hydrogen technology with a remote-controlled truck model that ran nearly five times longer than on a battery alone, Yle reports. The project is examining the challenges of using hydrogen in Lapland.

The model is a research vehicle worth thousands of euros, not a children’s toy. The university fitted it with a fuel-cell system that allows hydrogen to be used as its energy source. The hydrogen is stored in tanks slightly larger than AA batteries.

The model is part of the university’s AAVE project, which investigates the production, storage and use of hydrogen and other forms of green energy.

“We wanted to test and experiment with producing and using hydrogen in practice,” said Jukka Leinonen, an expert at Lapland University of Applied Sciences.

Leinonen said the removable and portable hydrogen system could be demonstrated easily to students and others interested in the technology. The truck has already attracted considerable interest in Kemi, where students have been able to drive it.

Hydrogen extended operating time

According to the university’s tests, hydrogen increased the truck model’s operating time by almost five times compared with using only its electric battery.

The model was first driven at full throttle until its battery was empty. It was then fitted with two full hydrogen tanks and driven at full throttle again. The hydrogen system extended the operating time by about one hour and 24 minutes, said Toni Toikka, the university expert who assembled the vehicle and built its test bench.

The system was also tested in slightly freezing temperatures. Leinonen and Toikka said it operated reliably in the cold.

The tanks can hold 10 litres of hydrogen. The hydrogen is transferred to a 30-watt fuel cell, which converts it into electricity.

Water and waste heat are the only emissions

The tests also examined the model truck’s emissions. When hydrogen is converted back into electricity in the fuel cell, the only by-products are water and heat.

In a full-sized vehicle, the waste heat could be used to heat the cab, Leinonen said.

The university has also surveyed businesses in the Sea Lapland region about their interest in and readiness to use hydrogen and other new forms of green energy.

Leinonen said hydrogen use currently faces a cycle in which limited demand discourages investment in production and distribution, while limited supply prevents demand from developing.

Finland’s first full-sized hydrogen truck is expected to arrive in Oulu in the autumn.

Project also includes a hydrogen-powered radio

The truck and a radio are part of the university’s AAVE project, whose Finnish name means “green energy forms in Arctic regions”. The project examines the current state of hydrogen, green fuels and other energy-storage solutions, as well as the challenges and opportunities of future technologies in Lapland.

The project is also mapping businesses’ interest in and readiness to use new forms of green energy in the Sea Lapland region. Renewable energy production in Lapland is mainly based on hydropower, wind power and solar power, but production and consumption vary significantly by season and time of day.

According to the university, surplus energy could be used to produce hydrogen and other green fuels. The AAVE project has a total budget of just over 429,000 euros, including about 343,000 euros in European Union funding granted by the Regional Council of Lapland. The project runs from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2027.

The university has also built a radio powered by hydrogen.