Aberdeen gets UK’s first hydrogen-powered refuse collection vehicle

The UK’s first hydrogen-powered refuse collection vehicle will next month go into service in Aberdeen.

The vehicle is based on the 4,200 mm wheelbase HH-Mercedes-Benz Econic Hydrogen chassis and has a 15kg tank capacity at 350 bar and 140 kWh batteries at 700 v.

It is powered by a 250 kW Hyzon electric motor and features a fully automatic Allison 3000 Series transmission.

Aberdeen City Council will fuel the vehicle at its own green hydrogen infrastructure. It will have a range of 250 km, enabling it to travel greater distances than an electric vehicle equivalent.

This new hydrogen-powered truck combines the Econic’s low-entry cab with a vehicle body made in the Netherlands.

Equipped with a combi split bin lift, this vehicle will go into service in March on a domestic refuse collection duty-cycle which entails constant stop-starts for 7.5 hours per day and five days per week.

The vehicle is the latest step in the ‘H2 Aberdeen’ initiative, which aims to bring about a hydrogen economy in the city’s region.

Aberdeen City Council first introduced 10 single deck hydrogen buses in 2012 followed by the world’s first deployment of 15 double decker buses in 2020.

In 2018, the council deployed the UK’s first hydrogen-powered sweeper vehicle.