Volvo Trucks Starts Road Tests of Its New Hydrogen Trucks

Alternative Drives in the Commercial Vehicle Sector Volvo Trucks Starts Road Tests of Its New Hydrogen Trucks

2026-04-02 From Stefanie Eckardt | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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Volvo Trucks has started road tests for heavy trucks powered by hydrogen combustion engines. The market launch of the commercial vehicles is planned before 2030.

Volvo Trucks completes road tests with its new hydrogen-powered trucks.(Image: Volvo Trucks) — Volvo Trucks completes road tests with its new hydrogen-powered trucks.
(Image: Volvo Trucks)

Volvo Trucks is taking a further step towards CO₂-neutral transportation solutions with the practical tests of heavy trucks whose combustion engines use hydrogen. According to the manufacturer, the new vehicles should impress with "higher energy efficiency, lower fuel consumption and more engine power than conventional hydrogen combustion technologies". The basis for this is High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI). A small amount of ignition fuel is injected under high pressure to initiate compression ignition before hydrogen is added. Volvo already uses this technology in gas-powered trucks, of which more than 10,000 units have been sold worldwide. "The road tests are an important milestone for our trucks with hydrogen combustion engines. I am convinced that they will be among the best solutions on the market in terms of fuel efficiency, performance, torque and drivability. Customers can basically use them like diesel vehicles. Our many years of experience with more than 10,000 gas-powered HPDI trucks clearly shows the potential of this technology," emphasizes Jan Hjelmgren, Head of Product Management at Volvo Trucks.

Supplement to Battery Electric and Fuel Cell Trucks

Trucks with hydrogen combustion engines are particularly suitable for long-distance transportation and for regions where the charging infrastructure is limited or there is little time available to charge battery-electric vehicles. Powered by green hydrogen and supplemented by renewable HVO as an ignition fuel, commercial vehicles have the potential to be almost CO₂-neutral in a well-to-wheel comparison. According to current EU CO₂ regulations, they are classified as "Zero Emission Vehicles" (ZEV).

The trucks with hydrogen-powered combustion engines complement Volvo Trucks' existing portfolio of low- and zero-emission drive options - including battery electric trucks, fuel cell trucks and commercial vehicles that can run on renewable fuels such as biogas and HVO. "We see great potential for trucks with hydrogen combustion engines. They will play an important role on the road to zero-emission transportation. Several technologies will be necessary for decarbonization. As a global manufacturer, we offer different solutions and support our customers in finding the right option - depending on the application profile, infrastructure and energy prices," continues Jan Hjelmgren. (se)

The hydrogen filling station in Jyväskylä. The electrolyzer is installed in the fenced area at the top right. (Image:Cefmof Hydrogen)

China is not giving up on hydrogen, but is intensifying its efforts. (Image:freely licensed from Pixabay)

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