In the US, Plug Power is to develop hydrogen fuel cell range extenders for 20 FedEx Express electric delivery trucks, allowing the cargo airline to nearly double the range of the vehicles.
This $3 million project is funded by the Department of Energy, and also includes Smith Electric Vehicles. The resulting hybrid vehicles will be powered by lithium-ion batteries and a 10 kW Plug Power fuel cell system. The PEM fuel cell solution is based on Plug Power's GenDrive® Series 1000 product architecture.
Currently, electric delivery trucks are limited to traveling about 80 miles (130 km) per charge. By doubling the vehicle range, Plug Power's range extender will make battery-based electric vehicles a viable solution for a wide range of applications, including parcel delivery trucks, taxis, post office trucks, and port vehicles.