cellcentric, the fuel cell joint venture of Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group, has officially named its next-generation heavy-duty system the BZA375 and launched it at Hannover Messe. The system delivers up to 375 kW of continuous net power—more than 500 hp—from a single package, replacing the twin-system approach previously required with its predecessor, the BZA150.
Compared to BZA150, the improvements are substantial across every metric. Fuel consumption drops 20%, putting a fully loaded 40-ton truck under 6 kg of hydrogen per 100 km under real-world conditions and enabling ranges beyond 1,000 km. Waste heat at 300 kW net power falls 40%, enabling more compact cooling systems. Power density rises 40%. Component count drops 40%. Weight comes in under 500 kg, keeping payload at diesel-equivalent levels. The system is dimensioned to fit engine compartments designed for conventional 13-liter diesel engines. Service life holds at 25,000 hours—equivalent to 10 years in a heavy-duty truck—maintained from BZA150.
Moving to a single system is the key architectural change. BZA150 required two units running in parallel to meet heavy-duty truck power demands. BZA375 handles the full load alone, reducing integration complexity and giving OEMs more flexibility in vehicle packaging.
Beyond trucks, cellcentric positions BZA375 for coaches, rail, mining and stationary power generation under a one-product strategy, using volume across applications to drive costs down.
“BZA375 is custom tailored for the needs of heavy-duty, long-haul trucks,” said Nicholas Loughlan, CTO of cellcentric. “At cellcentric, we are deliberately set up as an independent Tier 1 supplier and open to partnering with any OEMs that are driving the decarbonization of their portfolios.”
“Two key technologies will lead the way on our path to decarbonize transport: battery-electric and hydrogen,” said Karin Rådström, President and CEO of Daimler Truck AG.
Prototype systems are now available to customers for testing and validation. Before series production begins, larger volumes of mature prototypes will be made available for initial fleet applications. Series production is being prepared for the turn of the decade.
Source: cellcentric
