Aramco and HyperView develop hydrogen-powered self-driving truck
Saudi Aramco and Chinese automation firm HyperView have revealed a hydrogen-powered, self-driving truck at the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh.
Designed for long-haul freight, the hydrogen truck features an 800 km range, a 240 kW hydrogen fuel cell, and Level 3 autonomous driving technology.
Technical specifications
The truck runs on a 240 kW hydrogen fuel cell, supported by a 72 kWh battery and 59 kg of usable hydrogen, with refuelling taking approximately 15 minutes. No extended downtime, just fill up and go.
HyperView has integrated a “Level 3 autonomous system”, which handles AI-assisted route planning, lane-keeping, and obstacle detection.
A driver is still required – partly because of regulations, but mostly to take the blame for the truck insisting that the gap was definitely big enough.
Manufacturing plans
Aramco and HyperView are setting up Saudi Arabia’s first hydrogen truck factory at the King Salman Auto Complex in King Abdullah Economic City, backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The facility is expected to produce 1,000 trucks per year, with 60% earmarked for export.
Infrastructure remains the sticking point, but China plans 1,000 hydrogen refuelling stations by 2025, increasing to 5,000 by 2035, while the EU is developing a 39,700 km hydrogen network by 2040.
Aramco’s investment in hydrogen
Aramco Ventures has committed $7 billion (2024-2027) to hydrogen technologies and infrastructure.
The company is also investing in blue hydrogen, produced from natural gas with carbon capture, and has already completed the world’s first blue ammonia shipment.
