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The landfill collection began in Redwood Shores like any other day Thursday. But this time, the truck was quiet and fueled by hydrogen.
After its San Francisco debut, Recology is testing this truck in San Mateo County to evaluate its performance on different terrains and reduce its carbon footprint during waste collection.
Charles Esler, the driver testing the truck in Redwood Shores, noted that the hydrogen truck is significantly more comfortable to drive, and he no longer needs to wear noise-canceling headphones.
“It allows us to efficiently pick up the route in an adequate amount of time,” said Esler.
Yet, challenges remain before hydrogen-powered garbage trucks can achieve widespread adoption.
While the truck uses a hydrogen fuel cell that produces zero tailpipe emissions, experts said the hydrogen production itself may still result in some carbon life-cycle emissions. The hydrogen truck eliminates the harmful particulates and nitrogen oxides associated with diesel trucks, but it is nearly twice as expensive to build and must navigate the limited hydrogen-fueling infrastructure in North America.
The vehicle was built in partnership between New Way Trucks, which built the truck’s body, and Hyzon, which developed the hydrogen fuel cell. It was tested by Recology, a 100% employee-owned company in the waste recovery industry. According to Esler, unlike diesel trucks, the new hydrogen-powered vehicle operates quietly during waste collection. It also features regenerative braking that allows the driver to slow down without applying brakes.
According to Recology’s CEO, Sal Coniglio, the truck has so far been able to perform all tasks that a diesel truck can.
The truck has performed as expected across different terrains, including the steep hills of San Francisco and the residential neighborhoods in Redwood Shores, without any lag in power, Coniglio said. In San Mateo County, the truck completed approximately 1,100 waste collection lifts per day and maintained consistent power for up to 125 miles, after which it required refueling.
“We wanted to be the first to pilot this technology because I believed in its potential,” said Coniglio.
Recology had previously tested a fully electric truck that could not last the entire day without additional batteries. However, due to weight limits, adding more batteries reduced the truck’s ability to carry waste. With the hydrogen fuel cell, fewer batteries are needed, allowing the truck to operate all day while maintaining its full payload capacity.
A hydrogen fuel cell operates using a membrane that divides two sides. On one side, there is hydrogen, and on the other side, there is air with oxygen. The hydrogen moves through the membrane and reacts with the oxygen, creating electricity. This electricity is used to power the vehicle. So, the only thing that comes out of the fuel cell is water vapor, which produces zero tailpipe emissions.
But zero tailpipe emissions do not equate to zero emissions. The production of hydrogen, much like any other source of energy, can lead to carbon emissions known as life-cycle emissions.
According to Adam Weber, a senior scientist and leader of the Energy-Conversion at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the life-cycle emissions could be anywhere between negative to nine kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of hydrogen, depending on how the hydrogen is produced and whether the process involves carbon capture or not.
A spokesperson for Hyzon noted that the hydrogen used in the Recology pilot is produced from natural gas. However, they declined to say which method was used for the hydrogen production.
In the energy industry, hydrogen is categorized using a color spectrum to indicate how it is produced. These color codes are essentially nicknames for various production methods and may indicate how clean the hydrogen is.
“We’re hydrogen agnostic. We can use any color hydrogen as long as it has the purity needed for a fuel cell,” said Justin Yee, VP of Global Systems Engineering at Hyzon.
When asked about the comparison between the life-cycle emissions of a hydrogen truck and a diesel truck, Weber said the diesel trucks have more emissions. However, an even bigger issue is that diesel trucks produce other harmful emissions, such as particulates and nitrogen oxides (NOx), which can worsen local air quality.
While carbon dioxide contributes to global warming, these other pollutants have a more immediate impact on the environment and human health. In contrast, hydrogen fuel cells don’t produce these harmful emissions, making them a cleaner option.
If the pilot proves successful, Recology would like to purchase such hydrogen trucks to comply with California’s Advanced Clean Fleets law, which mandates a transition to zero-emission trucks by 2042. However, no purchases have been made yet, and Coniglio acknowledged that the high price of the hydrogen truck will make the cost of doing business very expensive.
A spokesperson for New Way said the difference between manufacturing a hydrogen vs a diesel truck is a few hundred thousand dollars. While a diesel side loader would cost around 300,000, a hydrogen side loader would cost approximately 700,000 and could extend up to a million dollars. The cost for both could also be higher or lower depending on the model, type of truck, and systems installed.
Another obstacle in the widespread use of hydrogen trucks in North America is the lack of infrastructure to support their fueling.
“We have a long way to go with that infrastructure, but it’s not impossible,” said Coniglio.
As of 2023, there are 59 open retail hydrogen stations in the United States, according to the US Department of Energy. 50 more stations are under planning or construction. Most hydrogen stations are in California, with one in Hawaii and five planned for the northeastern states.
In July, California became the first state to launch a clean and renewable hydrogen hub. A $12.6 billion agreement, including up to $1.2 billion in federal funding, was signed with the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES). This is the first of the seven hubs nationwide to sign their agreement with the Department of Energy officially. Their goal is to advance hydrogen technology and infrastructure. The Biden-Harris administration also awarded California $12 million for three hydrogen projects.
As for the test drives in Redwood Shores and other cities, Esler said he thinks the residents are satisfied that they will no longer wake up to the noise of the garbage collection truck in the morning.
