Eager to discover the ESCALATE pilot sites? Look not further and find our more about them below!

In the following segments, the five pilot sites and their specificities are explained. These long-haul tests are spread across Europe from Finland to Turkey, Bulgaria, the UK, and France. Since all pilot plans are currently under development to define a thorough testing environment, all information is based on the initial information available at the beginning of the project.

  • Long-haul range extender 

The fuel-cell trucks with a range-extended battery will operate in Finland within the framework of several pilots to demonstrate a flexible 40t HGV prototype for regional & long-haul use cases with a single refill and charge. These vehicles have a battery of 500-600kWh and a 100-140kW fuel cell and will operate on short-cycle operations with varying GVW up to 40 tons in a scheduled rotation in 8 h shifts, charging during loading (20min) or unloading (45 min) transporting bulk and cargo.

An additional pilot test will be the long-haul transport route of 520km with a single hydrogen refueling stop, which is estimated to take around 20min. These pilot tests are aimed to take 8 months to ensure a testing environment in winter and summer months.

  • Fuel-cell Tractor-Truck with High Operational Flexibility & Short Refueling Time

The 40t tractor truck will operate on a cross-border route between France and Germany, as well as on a route in the proximity of Istanbul. The cross-border route will carry goods from a French harbour to the end-user located in Germany while utilising a multi-fuel station that will be equipped to ensure the fast recharging of fuel cell trucks meeting the required constraints and targeted KPIs.

The Istanbul route will be used to ship the goods via box truck by taking them from their locations in the warehouse to the customer depot over 6 months.

  • Battery eTruck with high-efficiency modular powertrain

The DHL battery e-truck will operate on a cross-border route between Turkey and Bulgaria and will test fast charging-capable modular battery packs while operating from a DHL warehouse in Turkey on a mission with a length of around 500km without the requirement to recharge.

  • Battery-electric Refrigerator Truck –Trailer powered via Rooftop photovoltaic panels

A fully electric refrigerator truck with rooftop photovoltaic panels will operate between the two German cities of Karlsruhe and Flensburg. The alternative scenario is a daily route of more than 500km between the cities of Dundee and Southampton in the United Kingdom.

  • Long Haul Fuel Cell Refrigerator Truck with Optimized e-Powertrain & Hybrid Freight Cooling

The truck, which is built by Ford, will test new powertrain components and a lightweight frame design. Additionally, the novel fuel cell- and modular battery design integrated with lightweight cooling and housing concept. Similar to other pilots, this truck will travel across Europe and will cross several borders. The long haul truck carrying temperature-sensitive goods from Berlin (Germany) to Trabajo (Spain) with 3 breaks on the TEN-T corridor and metropole areas (Geneva, Lyon, Barcelona).