Cellcentric's BZA375 Is Now Available for Customer Testing

Cellcentric, the fuel cell joint venture of Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group, has officially unveiled its next-generation heavy-duty fuel cell system at Hannover Messe. Named the BZA375, the system delivers up to 375 kW of continuous net power — more than 500 horsepower — from a single package, replacing the twin-system approach previously required by its predecessor, the BZA150. Prototype systems are now available to customers for testing and validation.

The performance improvements over the BZA150 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% and component count drops 40%.  The system weighs under 500 kg — keeping payload at diesel-equivalent levels — and is dimensioned to fit engine compartments designed for conventional 13-litre diesel engines.

"BZA375 is custom tailored for the needs of heavy-duty, long-haul trucks and an excellent fit in other applications with comparable requirements," said Nicholas Loughlan, CTO of cellcentric.  Series production is being prepared for the turn of the decade, with larger volumes of mature prototypes to be made available for initial fleet applications before that point. The launch marks a significant step in the commercial viability of hydrogen as a direct replacement for diesel in long-haul freight — not as a future concept, but as a system now in customers' hands