Heavy-duty vehicles are about to get a heavy-duty upgrade with a new approach that could make hydrogen fuel cell technology viable for commercial fleets and their need for long-range, high-power energy.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven Laboratory have developed a new catalyst that could make hydrogen fuel cell trucks and buses more powerful, durable, and clean up one of the largest carbon-polluting industries in transportation, according to their study published in Nature.

While hydrogen fuel cell cars already exist, scaling the technology for heavy-duty vehicles has been challenging. These trucks demand far more power and need materials that can withstand extreme conditions without degrading. Traditional fuel cell catalysts tend to break down over time, making the systems costly and inefficient for something as demanding as trucking.

Researchers tackled that issue by designing a high-entropy intermetallic catalyst made from five metals — platinum, cobalt, nickel, iron, and copper, combined with nitrogen. The result is a fuel cell material that’s stable, efficient, and capable of maintaining performance under various (heavy-duty) conditions.

In tests simulating heavy-duty truck operation, the new catalyst lasted through 90,000 operating cycles, or roughly 25,000 hours of continuous use, while exceeding the DOE’s performance targets. That level of durability could make hydrogen fuel cells viable for large commercial fleets, paving the way for cleaner long-haul transport without sacrificing range or power.

Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity from hydrogen and oxygen. The only byproduct is water, which means vehicles powered by them release zero tailpipe pollution. By replacing diesel engines with fuel cells, transportation companies could dramatically reduce harmful pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and soot, which contribute to respiratory disease and poor air quality.

This follows other recent developments in clean technology, such as improved electric vehicle batteries, boosted solar panel technology, and revamped approaches to nuclear energy, all of which help us move toward a cleaner future with less planet-wide overheating, extreme weather events, and disease.

The research team says the discovery shows a “practical pathway to building fuel cell systems that can power the trucks and buses of tomorrow,” said Xueru Zhao, research associate in surface electrochemistry and electrocatalysis in the Chemistry Division at Brookhaven. Zhao added that their research “lays the groundwork for widespread adoption” of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles.

With further testing and scale-up, the same design principles could apply to other clean energy systems, helping build a powerful and pollution-free transportation future.

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