New Zealand’s first XCIENT hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric truck has clocked 100,000 kilometres while delivering for NZ Post.

NZ Post unveiled the XCIENT hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric truck in July 2022.

It was the first truck of its kind to be put into commercial operation in New Zealand.

“NZ Post was the first company in New Zealand to trial the hydrogen truck which aligns with our approach of testing and adopting new technologies,” said NZ Post chief executive officer David Walsh.

“As the truck’s odometer ticked over to 100,000km it added another milestone in our sustainability journey and another step towards our goal of transitioning to net-zero emissions operations by 2050,” he said.

Walsh hoped NZ Post’s early adoption to trial and introduce zero emission technology to its fleet encouraged others to also do the same.

“NZ Post’s transport fleet accounts for around 45% of our emissions so therefore NZ Post is focussed on opportunities to decarbonise our transport fleet,” said NZ Post group sustainability manager Dawn Baggale.

“Heavy transport plays a vital role in our economy, but it’s also a significant contributor to our national emissions so helping to reduce emissions within our road freight sector reflects NZ Post’s commitment to our people, our communities, and the environment,” she said.

Baggaley said the acquisition of the hydrogen truck was made possible with the support of Hyundai New Zealand.

Grant Doull, national manager of hydrogen and eco commercial vehicles at Hyundai New Zealand, said, “We are delighted that NZ Post saw the opportunity to invest in this zero-emission transport technology, showing their commitment to reducing emissions in the road freight sector.

“The 100,000km milestone demonstrates that hydrogen can be a reliable and efficient replacement to traditional diesel trucks with a longer range, shorter refuelling time, and a greater payload,” he said.

In April this year, Hiringa Energy opened its hydrogen refuelling network in New Zealand – with an official ribbon cutting taking place at Wiri in South Auckland. The Wiri hydrogen station is one of three North Island sites now operating, with another 21 sites in development across the country.

“Hiringa are delighted to see NZ Post reach 100,000km in their Hyundai XCIENT fuel cell truck, this is a perfect example of New Zealand companies working together to create real change and removing carbon emissions from the supply chain,” said Hiringa CEO Andy Clennett.

“Hydrogen offers enormous advantages in terms of operational efficiency and productivity by allowing quick refuelling times and high productivity, a perfect match for the needs of NZ Post and their customers.

“We congratulate Hyundai New Zealand and NZ Post on the leadership they have shown to make this positive change a reality and look forward to many more KM’s travelled with zero emissions, this is just the beginning,” he said.

Hiringa’s green hydrogen refuelling network has stations operating in Wiri, TeRapa and Palmerston north, with a fourth station currently in construction in Tauranga (Tauriko).

This technology means hydrogen is produced onsite at the refuelling station, through a process called electrolysis, where hydrogen is split from water using renewable electricity. Since the official opening of Hiringa’s refuelling network in April, the NZ Post truck has typically been filling twice a day, taking 15 minutes to fully fill, and  has integrated seamlessly onto the refuelling network and enabled NZ Post to deliver to schedule with zero emissions.

“The timing of this milestone co-insides nicely with the soon to be released $30m government funding program for hybrid or zero emission heavy vehicles,” Clennett said.

“By being the first to run a FCEV truck in NZ, NZ Post have provided a real-world use case for fleet owners who might be looking to apply for grant funding under the scheme, allowing them to purchase their hydrogen fuel cell truck with confidence in its capability.”

TR Group’s sales and account manager Shayne Barns said, “In reaching this milestone distance our sustainability team at TR Group have taken away immense learnings and we have significantly grown our experience about the techniques that are required to maximise the performance and efficiency of Hydrogen Fuel Cell heavy vehicles in New Zealand condition.”