Belgian retailer Colruyt Group has announced it is using two hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks from Scania in its day-to-day logistics operations as part of a pilot programme exploring zero-emission transport for heavy goods vehicles.

The trucks form part of Scania's Pilot Partner programme, which works with selected customers to test emerging transport technologies in real-world conditions. Colruyt is the first and only Belgian company to take part in the hydrogen trial, with Scania producing around 20 of the vehicles for testing across a small number of countries.

Colruyt said the project supports its target of making its own freight transport completely emission-free by 2030 using battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. By 2035, the retailer aims to run its goods transport entirely on green electricity and green hydrogen.

The hydrogen-powered trucks combine a 300 kW fuel cell with a fully electric drivetrain delivering 400 kW of continuous power. Hydrogen is stored in tanks with a total capacity of 56kg, while two battery packs provide a combined energy capacity of 356 kWh.

The vehicles have a maximum range of around 800 kilometres and can carry loads of up to 50 tonnes. They will refuel at hydrogen refuelling stations in Halle and Ollignies.

Scania said the pilot is designed to assess the technical performance, operational feasibility, and commercial potential of hydrogen fuel cell technology. While the truck manufacturer continues to focus on battery-electric vehicles as its primary decarbonisation strategy, it said it sees hydrogen as a potential option for certain long-distance transport applications.

Scania and Colruyt have worked together on the hydrogen project since 2020, developing the vehicle for the retailer's logistics network and aligning it with existing infrastructure and distribution operations.

The companies also had to complete an individual vehicle approval process before the trucks could operate on Belgian roads because the configuration did not fully comply with existing European vehicle regulations. Scania said the certification process took around 18 months and involved collaboration with certification bodies and technical partners before the vehicles were approved for road trials.

Lieselot Rouquart, division manager for transport at Colruyt Group, said: "As a retail group with sustainability in our DNA, we are also making our freight transport more sustainable, step by step.

"We aim to make our own freight transport completely emission-free by 2030, using battery-electric and hydrogen-electric vehicles. This is an important step in the further expansion of our heavy-duty fleet."

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