“This is why we have focused on a market like trains where the powertrain and the fuel costs represent 50% of the total operating costs and are much lower than the heavy-duty truck market, which is above 80%,” she said during Cummins’ briefing. The company has partnered with European industrial conglomerate Alstom to supply a fuel cell power system for its Coradia iLint commuter train that’s already operating in Germany.
Relative to trucks, “trains run on fixed routes and require lower infrastructure in terms of hydrogen refueling, this will be another key factor, Davis said. “In addition, support for public subsidies exists and the incremental cost to purchase a hydrogen train is lower than the cost of electrifying rail lines. All of these factors drive varied adoption rates, greater adoption in early years and applications such as trains and buses, with heavy-duty trucks falling farther out on the curve.”