Truck rental and leasing company TR Group is looking for new options in the wake of fuel cell truck supplier Hyzon Motors shutting down its Australian operation earlier this month.

It was announced in late-2020 that Hyzon was to be the supplier of an initial fleet of 20 trucks for the New Zealand evaluation programme. The trucks were being leased by TR Group to local transport companies and refuelled at the network of hydrogen stations being established by Hiringa Energy and Waitomo Group.

Hyzon is a U.S.-based manufacturer and supplier of hydrogen fuel cell systems and trucks. It’s head office announced on July 8 it was immediately closing operations in Australia and The Netherlands to concentrate its development efforts on North America. Two days later Hyzon Motors Australia was placed into administration.

TR Group General Manager Brendan King says TR Group is now evaluating several different options for hydrogen fuel cell trucks.

“There is one truck which is already at an evaluation stage at Global Bus Ventures in Canterbury, and they have the ability to scale up their operation,” King says.

“We’re also talking to Hyundai [TR Group already leases one Hyundai XCIENT to NZ Post] and there are options with fuel cell trucks from out of China as well,” he says.

At the launch of the refuelling network held at Wiri in April it was expected the first two Melbourne-built Hyzon trucks would be arriving in New Zealand with a few months.

King confirms those two trucks had been scheduled to be shipped to TR Group in early August.

“That’s not happening now. But there is an outside chance that someone else will buy the business. We will be watching for any developments,” King says.

“We remain fully committed to bringing hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks to New Zealand.

“It’s unfortunate, but we are just going to have to play the cards we have been dealt. It’s not going to disrupt the project, but it will lead to some timing delays.”

Announcing the closure of operation in Australia and the Netherlands, Illinois-based Hyzon Motors said in a statement: “that after considering its options as well as completing its assessment of the challenging market conditions across Europe and Australia, the company will halt its operations in the Netherlands and Australia.”

Hyzon says that compared to North American efforts to accelerate the hydrogen transition and adoption of zero-emission fuel cell technology, the government support for fuel cell-powered transportation in Europe and Australia has waned, including the disbandment in many European countries of hydrogen subsidies. 

Hyzon intends to maintain the potential to return to the European and Australian markets as a fuel cell system supplier to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). 

Hyzon Chief Executive Officer Parker Meeks says closing the international operations was a complex and difficult decision.

“Given the challenges of bringing new technology to market in an emerging industry, we believe we need to focus our efforts on the North American market and refuse industry as well as overseeing our large fleet trial programmes which commence this [Northern Hemisphere] summer,” Meeks says.

Hyzon continues to develop its zero-emission single stack 200kW hydrogen fuel cell technology for the North American Class 8 and refuse truck FCEV platforms.