Since the beginning of 2023, the heavy duty version of the Voith Electrical Drive System (VEDS) has been an integral part of the first H2 truck (FCEV) to be built in Germany: the Paul Hydrogen Power Truck (PH2P). The energy for the electrical drive is generated in a fuel cell. The truck was developed, built and optimized by Paul Nutzfahrzeuge, a European market leader in special-purpose trucks, and Pepper Motion, a specialist in the electrification of new and used commercial vehicles, in close consultation with Voith.

The PH2P truck was based on a 16 t model from Daimler’s versatile Atego series. The result is a truck that offers optimum road performance and a range of 450 km. The PH2P truck series delivers impressive performance, efficiency and comfort. It is driven by a VEDS with 310 kW continuous power and 410 kW peak power. Moreover, the VEDS is the first electrical drive system to meet all requirements for automotive functional safety as per ISO 26262.

“Together with strong partners like Voith and Pepper Motion, we are striving to instigate a revolution in the hydrogen truck segment. By 2030, 45 percent of trucks are supposed to be carbon neutral. Under these circumstances, you need people whose attitude is: Let’s take a radical approach to getting this done,” says Bernhard Wasner, CEO of Paul Nutzfahrzeuge. Andreas Hager, CEO of Pepper Motion, adds: “We are proud to be contributing to decarbonization through the development of our fuel cell drive system and consequently, to accelerating the mobility transition. Partnerships like those with Voith and Paul Nutzfahrzeuge are the basis for this success.”

For Voith too, the PH2P is a milestone on the path to the mobility transition. “We are working flat out with strong partners like Paul Nutzfahrzeuge and Pepper Motion to drive the mobility transition forward,” emphasizes Manuel Calero, Vice President E-Mobility at Voith. “At the same time, we have written yet another chapter of the VEDS success story.”

Voith offers the VEDS as an electrical drive system including all basic components for various applications in the commercial vehicle segment. The system consists of an electric motor in two power classes – either Medium Duty (MD) or Heavy Duty (HD) –, a traction inverter, and a corresponding ECU. Thanks to its compact design, the VEDS does not require any additional installation space in chassis that are designed for combustion engines. The system therefore offers the perfect basis for retrofitting existing vehicles and sufficient flexibility for developing new vehicles. The concept supports battery systems from a wide range of manufacturers and – as is the case in the PH2P truck – can also get its energy from fuel cells.