DETROIT—General Motors plans to supply Hydrotec fuel cell power cubes to Navistar Inc. for use in its International RH Series of heavy-duty trucks. Partners in the project include J.B. Hunt Transport Inc. and OneH2 Inc.

“Hydrogen fuel cells offer great promise for heavy-duty trucks in applications requiring a higher density of energy, fast refueling and additional range,” says Persio Lisboa, president and CEO of Navistar. "We are excited to provide customers with added flexibility through a new hydrogen truck ecosystem that combines our vehicles with the hydrogen fuel cell technology of General Motors and the modular, mobile and scalable hydrogen production and fueling capabilities of OneH2. And, we are very pleased that our valued customer, J.B. Hunt, has committed to utilize the solution on dedicated routes and share key learnings."

Navistar plans to make the first production model of its International RH Series fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) commercially available by 2024. According to Lisboa, the integrated system will be competitive with other power train offerings with a target range of 500-plus miles and a hydrogen fueling time of less than 15 minutes.

The FCEV will get its energy from two GM Hydrotec fuel cell power cubes. Each device contains more than 300 hydrogen fuel cells, along with thermal and power management systems. They are compact and easy to package into many different applications.

“The combined propulsion system within the International RH Series FCEV will feature better power density for short-range travel, better short-burst kilowatt-hour output and a per-mile cost expected to be comparable to diesel in certain market segments,” claims Lisboa.

Under its partnership agreement with Navistar, OneH2 will supply its hydrogen fueling systems, which includes hydrogen production, storage and delivery. Through its affiliates, OneH2 plans to kickstart substantial hydrogen truck refueling infrastructure by incorporating more than 2,000 FCEVs into existing truck fleets in the near future.