France's first hydrogen-powered truck, CATHyOPE gave its first public demonstration at the Meet4Hydrogen event on 24 March in the port of Toulon.
It is then in the South of France that the electric-hydrogen HGV, the result of the CATHyOPÉ programme, will make its first logistical transport runs in real conditions, in preparation for what is its raison d'être: entering the test operation phase for deliveries to Carrefour shops. This is a decisive step for the founding partners: the designer Green GT, the operator Transports Chabas and the end customer Carrefour.
After 4 years of detailed research and development, the challenge of adapting GreenGT technology, initially proven in motor sport, to heavy mobility seems to have been met. The result is a 26-tonne truck powered to tow an 18-tonne trailer (bringing the total to 44 tonnes), with performance equivalent to that of a heavy goods vehicle of the same tonnage with a conventional engine, but with a powertrain that emits no polluting gases or particles, just water.
" We chose a very heavy goods vehicle and the most demanding application - the transport of refrigerated goods - to demonstrate that hydrogen can meet all energy needs, without any tailpipe emissions. " explains Julien Roussel, Product Director at GreenGT.
Labelled in 2016 by the Capenergies cluster, the CATHyOPE programme is supported as part of the Future Investment Programme (PIA) operated by ADEME. By 2025, it could see around a hundred trucks put on the road for the Carrefour Group.
