As some car manufacturers continue to pursue hydrogen as an alternative fuel to power vehicles in a greener world, Volkswagen is keeping its cards close to its chest.
The German automaker is moving full steam ahead with battery electric vehicles and is even applying this powertrain tech to a number of commercial vehicles.
The ID.Buzz van is underpinned by the Group’s MEB scalable electric vehicle platform, and there will be electric versions of commercial models like the Crafter large van, and the Amarok ute.
In November it was revealed that VW is partnering with German company Kraftwerk Group to develop a model powered by hydrogen fuel-cell that would be capable of a 2000km driving range.
But Volkswagen Commercial product manager Petr Sulc said that he did not see the technology being applied to conventional commercial models like the Amarok any time soon.
“Not in the next 10 years. It’s not the time now. It will be the solution. So I see it somewhere in Amarok in the fourth generation,” he said with a laugh.
Speaking with journalists at the Amarok international launch in South Africa, Mr Sulc added that hydrogen would definitely be the solution for larger commercial transport, but highlighted “for the trucks, of course. If it’s a solution for the pick-ups, [it] will be depending on the situation of the cell technologies.”
He added that while heavy commercial vehicle users might have a need for a powertrain that can travel 2000km, he questioned the need for off-roader and light-commercial vehicle drivers to travel that distance.
“So for the trucks of course, for the pick-up, let’s see.”
VW has experimented with hydrogen tech in the past, unveiling the HyMotion concept back in 2014 that replaced an ICE powertrain with a fuel-cell setup.
The big advancements in the work Kraftwerk is doing with VW is a ceramic membrane that is said to be cheaper than the polymer membrane used by hydrogen proponents, Hyundai and Toyota. According to Wards Auto, it is considered crucial to the future volume production of hydrogen fuel-cells for automotive applications.
This ceramic membrane also functions without the need for platinum, which is a precious metal that makes hydrogen fuel-cell production expensive.
Hyundai has been in the hydrogen game for a while, with the Nexo SUV available in limited numbers to fleets in Australia, while it offers the XCIENT truck and bus in some markets.
Toyota too has the Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell sedan, but is also developing hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines.
Toyota has also previously stated that it is open to the use of hydrogen in future applications for models like the HiLux and LandCruiser that are popular in remote parts of Australia.
“I think there’s definitely potential across that [hydrogen fuel-cell power for HiLux and LandCruiser],” Toyota Australia general manager of product planning and development Rod Ferguson said at the Mirai launch last year.
“We’re launching this type of car now, but the potential exists across a range of heavier vehicles or light trucks or trains or buses – definitely.”