SANY Introduces Hydrogen Fuel Cell Construction Vehicles

Every year on this day, millions of people across the world switch off lights at home, in buildings and in the streets for Earth Hour. Since 2008, the “hour of no power” serves as a symbol of commitment to the planet and to conserve energy and the environment. At SANY, this commitment is fulfilled through the constant innovation of energy-saving and environmental-friendly solutions in the development of our machines. Two recent examples include a dump truck and a mixer truck, freshly rolled out of SANY’s intelligent flagship factory, both of which are equipped with hydrogen fuel cell technology. The latter is the first hydrogen-powered mixer truck in the world.

According to the R&D engineer of this project, hydrogen fuel cell construction vehicles have five important advantages. Among them, the realization of “zero pollution” with only water and heat being discharged is a leap toward the green future of the industry.

At the 2020 United Nations Climate Change conference, Chinese President Xi Jiping proposed that China’s carbon dioxide emissions should peak in 2030 and that carbon neutrality should be achieved by 2060. This goal requires concrete steps to be taken, especially by manufacturers like us who can make tangible changes through technological breakthroughs.

Apart from “zero pollution”, the new fuel cell-powered construction vehicles also outperform traditional counterparts in these additional four areas:

• Long battery life: A set of hydrogen cylinders with a combined capacity of 1,680 L ensures a driving distance of more than 500 kilometers, saving drivers from “mileage anxiety”.
• More power: With a large torque drive motor and an AMT gearbox, the high-power fuel cell stack features an energy conversion rate of over 50%. The vehicle demonstrates enhanced acceleration rate and climbing capacity.
• Enhanced weather adaptability: The integrated heat management system performs automatic heating and cooling in hot and cold weather conditions to maintain optimal performance.
• Extra safety considerations: Functions such as high heat protection, overcurrent protection, a low pressure alarm, and leakage detection and control in the hydrogen supply system guarantee a worry-free driving experience.

Li Tanbo, Deputy General Manager of SANY’s Crane Business Unit, addressed in the rollout ceremony that SANY has entered a new phase in which the development of construction machinery is trending towards the application of green energy and green, intelligent equipment technologies. SANY plans to become the largest comprehensive hydrogen fuel solution provider and the number one electric construction vehicle manufacturer in China within five years.