Plug Power and Workhorse have delivered FedEx its first hydrogen fuel cell electric delivery van for on-road use.
The class 5 zero emission EGEN delivery van is built by Workhorse Group and charged by a Plug Power ProGen hydrogen engine. The vehicle is currently in service at the FedEx facility in Menands, NY.
The ProGen-powered electric delivery van is one of the first of its kind to operate in a standard commercial environment and is deployed on a standard delivery route for FedEx. The Workhorse EGEN class 5, zero emission delivery trucks are designed to meet the needs and expectations of daily delivery duty cycles, as well as save delivery fleet buyers fuel and operational costs, dramatically reducing total cost of ownership over the lifetime of the vehicle.
“The Workhorse EGEN zero-emission delivery vehicle has reinvented package delivery,” said Workhorse CEO Steve Burns. “With the capability of charging enroute, via the onboard ProGen hydrogen engine, range anxiety is virtually eliminated.
The addition of Plug Power’s ProGen fuel cell enables the vehicle range to exceed 160 miles (257 km) per delivery cycle, a 166% increase over standard battery power alone. To date, the new FCEV has already accumulated more than 3,000 (4,828 km) on-road miles in initial tests, and is expected to accumulate more than 27,000 miles (43,452 km) of on-road driving time in the first six months.
The vehicle refuels using a Plug Power hydrogen fuel station located in Latham, New York. This fueling station is the first hydrogen fueling station in New York State’s Capital Region and one of the first hydrogen refueling stations on the East Coast for on-road vehicles. The FCEV delivery van is currently fueling and operating through a broad weather spectrum, including rain, snow and cold temperatures.
“FedEx is committed to investing in safer and more sustainable transportation solutions in its global network,” said Mitch Jackson, Chief Sustainability Officer, FedEx Corp. “As part of our Reduce, Replace, Revolutionize vehicle strategy, this is one way we’re working to revolutionize transportation while making our communities more livable.”
Plug Power’s technology, including its modular ProGen hydrogen engine platform, is powering the electrification of mobility today. In addition to the FedEx FCEV delivery van, Plug Power has 20,000 deployed fuel cells and greater than 150 million run hours in mobility applications.
