French hydrogen fuel cell truck producer Hyliko has announced its partnership with Forsee Power to equip its first hydrogen powered heavy-duty trucks with Foresee’s PULSE 2.5 intelligent battery system.

Hyliko has two hydrogen trucks currently available in its range - a tractor unit and 6x2 and 6x4 rigids. Forsee Power batteries will be used in Hyliko trucks beginning in September 2023. Forsee Power’s PULSE 2.5 modules provide high-power performance in a small package, allowing the design of hydrogen vehicles to be optimised for improved consumption performance.

Hyliko has interest from clients for more than 350 hydrogen trucks, including Berto, Point.P, and Bert&You Groups.

“We chose Forsee Power for the quality and performance of their batteries. The PULSE 2.5 extra-flat high power battery system seems to us to be the solution of choice for the first hydrogen trucks that we are planning for our clients. Being a French supplier has also reinforced our approach of favoring French and European production channels for our offer to decarbonise road freight transport,” explains Ovarith Troeung, CEO of Hyliko.

A hydrogen vehicle’s battery system is critical to its operation. The hydrogen fuel cell generates energy, which powers the electric motor. As a result, hydrogen is the vehicle’s primary source of energy. The batteries, which are charged by the fuel cell’s power, allow for the generation of extra energy during rapid changes in load (acceleration or climbing a steep slope). The truck is therefore primarily powered by the fuel cell, with the battery providing back-up power.

Forsee Power’s PULSE 2.5 modules’ extra-slim size, along with their extremely high power, frees up the space required for the integration of fuel cells and hydrogen tanks, optimising the area allocated to products. The batteries will be attached to the sides of the vehicles and will provide a total of 60.7 kWh.

“We are proud to support Hyliko in the development of its hydrogen trucks. Forsee Power has developed a wide range of batteries to support the energy transition of vehicles, whether 100 percent batteries or hydrogen. Our ultraslim, high-power PULSE 2.5 battery system is an excellent solution for those trucks where the challenge is to optimise the volume occupied, the on-board weight and the range to enable zero-emission freight over long distances” explains Sébastien Rembauville-Nicolle, Vice President Business Development of Forsee Power.