In December 2025, with strong support and coordinated promotion from the People’s Government of Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province and the Administrative Committee of Panzhihua Vanadium & Titanium High-tech Industrial Development Zone, the liquid hydrogen heavy truck co-developed by FAW TRUCKS, Aerospace Propulsion Technology Research Institute and Dongfang Electric (Chengdu) Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd. successfully launched China’s first public road demonstration operation at Panzhihua Vanadium & Titanium High-tech Zone. This marks a critical leap for China’s liquid hydrogen heavy truck technology from laboratory testing to real-road scenarios, officially entering a new phase of commercial validation.
The liquid hydrogen heavy truck featured in this demonstration integrates FAW TRUCKS’ proven J6P product platform, validated over one million kilometers, the Aerospace “Track 1000” large-capacity on-board liquid hydrogen storage and supply system, and Dongfang Hydrogen Energy’s high-power fuel cell system. To date, the vehicle has accumulated over 8,000 kilometers of real-world operation and achieved a driving range exceeding 1,000 kilometers, setting a new record for hydrogen energy heavy trucks in China.
Four Core Breakthroughs Laying the Foundation for Commercialization
Breakthrough 1: Verified Ultra-Long Range Resolving Range Anxiety in Heavy Truck Electrification
The most pivotal achievement of this real-vehicle road test is the field verification of its extended range capability. Equipped with a 100kg-class liquid hydrogen storage tank, the model achieved a driving range of over 1,000 kilometers under real-road operating conditions, far surpassing the 400–500 kilometer range of mainstream gaseous hydrogen heavy trucks currently available. This measured data not only provides strong evidence for the feasibility of applying liquid hydrogen technology to long-distance, zero-carbon transportation with heavy commercial vehicles, but also directly addresses a key bottleneck in the industry’s electrification transition, fundamentally resolving the range anxiety that has hindered large-scale deployment.
Breakthrough 2: Operation of China’s First Civil Liquid Hydrogen Refueling Station, Closing the Critical Infrastructure Loop
The smooth execution of this demonstration operation relies on the simultaneous commissioning of China’s first civil liquid hydrogen refueling station with a closed-loop “production, storage, refueling” chain, located at Madian in Panzhihua. During the demonstration, the vehicle successfully completed safe and efficient refueling of liquid hydrogen at an ultra-low temperature of -253℃. This milestone signifies that China has fully mastered the complete refueling technology and safe operation and maintenance capabilities for civil liquid hydrogen from factory to on-board systems, removing a core barrier to the large-scale promotion of liquid hydrogen heavy trucks at the infrastructure level.
Breakthrough 3: Validation of High Reliability and Adaptability Under Complex and Severe Conditions
Panzhihua’s unique mountainous terrain and complex road conditions provided a highly challenging natural testbed for this validation. Leveraging this real-world harsh operating environment, the vehicle maintained stable system operation and reliable performance throughout the demonstration, fully verifying the high compatibility and engineering maturity of FAW TRUCKS’ heavy truck chassis and the Aerospace advanced liquid hydrogen storage and supply system. The exceptional stability demonstrated in real operational scenarios is more convincing, injecting solid confidence into the future market promotion of liquid hydrogen heavy trucks.
Breakthrough 4: Government-Industry-University-Research-Application Collaboration Innovating Industry Implementation Models
This breakthrough is the result of in-depth industrial chain collaboration. The innovation consortium formed by FAW TRUCKS (vehicle integration and manufacturing), Dongfang Electric (fuel cells), Aerospace Propulsion Technology Research Institute (liquid hydrogen production and on-board liquid hydrogen systems), and the Panzhihua local government (scenarios and policies) has established an efficient linkage model of “leading enterprises + research institutes + local governments”. This model integrates all elements including technological R&D, equipment manufacturing, industrial upgrading and scenario application, not only providing core support for the successful implementation of the project, but also creating a replicable and scalable demonstration model, offering valuable experience for the construction of China’s national hydrogen energy industry ecosystem.
The successful demonstration operation of FAW TRUCKS liquid hydrogen heavy trucks in Panzhihua marks the first time that China has achieved full-chain integration from technological R&D to commercial validation in the exploration of liquid hydrogen as the “ultimate solution” for long-distance zero-carbon transportation with heavy trucks. With its ultra-high hydrogen storage density and potential for cost-effective long-distance storage and transportation, liquid hydrogen is expected to fundamentally resolve the range bottleneck in heavy truck electrification. Meanwhile, this practice has not only verified the feasibility of the technical route, but also established a complete localized commercial closed loop, opening a clear path for deep decarbonization in China’s transportation sector. Building on this significant achievement, the project team is collaborating with relevant industry organizations to transform the core data and valuable experience accumulated from this practice into unified industrial standards such as refueling specifications and safety criteria, laying a solid foundation for the large-scale, high-quality development of the hydrogen energy heavy truck sector.
Looking ahead, FAW TRUCKS will join hands with all partners to continuously deepen the full-chain demonstration application and technological iteration of liquid hydrogen “production, storage, refueling, transportation and utilization”, while expanding the demonstration effect to diverse scenarios such as green hydrogen metallurgy, vanadium-titanium synthesis and hydrogen energy vehicle manufacturing. Anchored in the national “dual carbon” goals, FAW TRUCKS will take its “Blue Path” new energy technology brand as the core guide, continuously drive industrial transformation, strive to build a mature hydrogen energy industry ecosystem covering the entire industrial chain, and inject a steady stream of green momentum into building a strong manufacturing nation and a strong transportation nation.
