What Will the Heavy Truck of the Future Look Like?
Everyone has their own answer to this question, but one thing is beyond dispute: high efficiency, intelligence and electrification have become three irreversible trends. With the continuous breakthroughs in related technologies, the commercial vehicle industry is ushering in a profound transformation. Standing at the crossroads of the present and looking ahead to the future heavy truck industry, we have already caught a glimpse of a benchmark-level solution.
On December 18, Foton Motor’s 2026 Business Annual Conference, themed “Striving to Become a World-Class Commercial Vehicle Enterprise”, kicked off grandly at the National Convention Center. At this year’s conference, Cavan Automobile, a subsidiary of Foton, officially launched the mass-produced version of the Cavan BEACON heavy truck, and simultaneously showcased three BEACON family models: battery electric, gaseous hydrogen and liquid hydrogen variants. Built on the world’s first forward-developed intelligent heavy truck platform dedicated to “dual compatibility with electricity and hydrogen”, this vehicle series takes “breaking scenario boundaries” as its core value, covering battery electric and hydrogen fuel tractor models. It is a revolutionary product that meets current transportation needs and embraces the future energy landscape. Since it was included in the regulatory announcement catalog, Truck Home Commercial Vehicle Network has been continuously tracking its progress. The official launch of this mass-produced vehicle undoubtedly marks that China’s domestic new energy heavy trucks have reached a new height. Taking the Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen tractor as an example, this article will conduct an in-depth interpretation of the technical connotation and product strength of the Cavan BEACON series.
“Electricity-Hydrogen Compatible” Platform: Comprehensive Upgrade of Body Architecture
Driven by both the “dual carbon” goals and the logistics industry’s demand for cost reduction and efficiency improvement, new energy heavy trucks have become a key path for pollution and carbon reduction in the transportation sector. However, traditional “fuel-to-electric converted” models are plagued by inherent drawbacks such as poor scenario adaptability, short driving range, high wind resistance, excessive energy consumption, insufficient safety and excessive curb weight, which have severely restricted the promotion of new energy heavy trucks in trunk line logistics. In response to the industry status quo, the Cavan BEACON heavy truck adheres to the principle of “breaking the old to build the new”. Relying on the forward-developed “electricity-hydrogen compatible” platform, it fundamentally breaks the constraints of energy forms and achieves a leapfrog improvement in the comprehensive product strength of new energy heavy trucks.
The Cavan BEACON heavy truck innovatively divides the vehicle body into three core modules: the driving zone, energy storage zone and power drive zone. The consistent modular design concept endows it with excellent scenario adaptability and component commonality. Models with different energy forms can be flexibly configured while maintaining a consistent core architecture, thereby achieving an optimal balance among drive efficiency, range performance and driving comfort.
This innovative design is reflected in the vehicle’s exterior, which exudes a strong sense of futurism. Benefiting from the all-new forward-developed platform, the vehicle breaks free from the structural limitations of “fuel-to-electric conversion” and adopts a wedge-shaped body design, resembling a billowing sail that combines technological aesthetics with aerodynamic efficiency. This design integrates the advantages of both long-haul and cab-over-engine trucks, not only ensuring ample driving and living space, but also achieving multiple benefits including ultra-low wind resistance and excellent visibility.
The streamlined body is a prominent feature of the Cavan BEACON, laying a solid foundation for its low wind resistance performance. According to official data, the vehicle adopts an integrated streamlined design for both the tractor and trailer, achieving a minimum drag coefficient of 0.28 cd. The ultra-low wind resistance is directly translated into reduced energy consumption, providing strong support for long-lasting driving range.
The front face of the vehicle features a streamlined enclosed design paired with a straight waterfall grille, which not only enhances the visual sense of power, but also helps balance the overall vehicle center of gravity, creating an elegant yet stable appearance.
The headlight assembly adopts a full LED lens design, delivering outstanding lighting performance with lower energy consumption and longer service life. The vertical lamp units are naturally integrated with the body lines, not only extending the overall design language, but also further optimizing aerodynamic performance.
Independently Developed Liquid Hydrogen Power System: Effortlessly Surpassing 1,000km Driving Range
Driven by both the “dual carbon” policy and the logistics industry’s demand for cost reduction and efficiency improvement, new energy heavy trucks have become an inevitable development trend for the future. In line with Foton’s diversified energy strategy of “using electricity where appropriate and hydrogen where suitable”, the Cavan BEACON is equipped with a variety of power systems including battery electric, gaseous hydrogen and liquid hydrogen, catering to different driving ranges and operating conditions. The liquid hydrogen model, which is the focus of this article, represents Foton Cavan’s important strategic layout in the field of new energy long-haul trunk line transportation.
At this point, you may be wondering: What is the difference between liquid hydrogen and gaseous hydrogen? The answer is simple: they are both hydrogen, but in different physical states—similar to the difference between CNG (compressed natural gas) and LNG (liquefied natural gas). Compared with gaseous hydrogen, liquid hydrogen has a higher energy density, making it ideal for long-haul trunk line transportation. Moreover, liquid hydrogen offers higher storage and transportation density, requires lower pressure for storage (thus reducing requirements for refueling stations and on-board hydrogen storage systems), and enables faster refueling speeds. These advantages not only allow for the low-cost rapid construction of hydrogen refueling networks and hydrogen transmission corridors, but also optimize vehicle driving range and improve safety. Liquid hydrogen is therefore regarded as one of the “ultimate energy sources” for future new energy commercial vehicles. Internationally, Daimler Truck’s collaboration with Linde on the GenH2 hydrogen fuel cell heavy truck and sLH2 subcooled liquid hydrogen technology has led the industry frontier. Domestically, the mass production of the Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen heavy truck marks that China has joined the ranks of international advanced levels in this field.
As China’s first mass-produced liquid hydrogen heavy truck, the Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen model is equipped with Foton Cavan’s independently developed 300kW fuel cell system. It adopts high-durability membrane electrode and long-life stack technology, with a B10 lifespan of up to 1.6 million kilometers, laying a solid foundation for high reliability. The system achieves an efficiency of ≥58% under typical operating conditions, 9 percentage points higher than the industry average. Combined with the high-efficiency electric drive system and the vehicle’s low wind resistance optimization, the truck achieves an ultra-low hydrogen consumption rate of 7.6kg/100km. The model featured in this live review has a hydrogen storage capacity of ≥80kg, meaning that a single hydrogen refueling can deliver a driving range of over 1,000km. This completely resolves the range anxiety associated with new energy heavy trucks in long-haul operations, paving a feasible path for the commercialization of new energy heavy trucks in trunk line logistics.
In terms of electronic and electrical architecture, the Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen heavy truck also achieves a complete innovation. It adopts the industry’s first “1+3+2” cross-domain integrated EE architecture featuring DPU + 3 domain controllers + 2 zone controllers, enabling centralized control, vehicle-cloud connectivity and OTA upgrades, thus endowing the vehicle with continuous intelligent evolution capabilities. Combined with CANFD + Gigabit Ethernet dual backbone networks, it significantly improves communication bandwidth and data transmission rate, creating a new-generation heavy truck “intelligent system” with industry-leading innovation.
Furthermore, the Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen heavy truck is equipped with a new-generation commercial vehicle ICA/HWP combined advanced driver assistance system (ADAS). Leveraging a multi-source perception network consisting of 7 cameras, 5 radars and 1 LiDAR, combined with high-precision positioning and map data, it covers 26 major categories and 114 scenarios, enabling 22 advanced driver assistance functions. Supported by an end-pipe-cloud trinity dynamic information security defense system, it comprehensively ensures driving safety.
RV-Style Cab: A Home-Like Luxury Living Cabin
Benefiting from the all-new body architecture, the Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen heavy truck has achieved a fundamental improvement in in-cab living space and experience, truly becoming a “mobile home” for drivers. Next, let us step inside the cab to experience it firsthand.
Upon opening the door, the vehicle’s foldable boarding steps automatically extend, creating a sense of ceremony. When retracted, the foldable steps form a smooth aerodynamic surface, minimizing air resistance. When extended, they transform into wide RV-style steps, facilitating easy entry into the cab.
The cab of the Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen heavy truck adopts an RV-style design language. Its interior features a full flat-floor layout, allowing drivers to move freely inside the cab, greatly enhancing mobility and space utilization efficiency. The cab floor has a ground clearance of only 1450mm; this low-entry design significantly reduces physical exertion when getting on and off the vehicle, making boarding and alighting much easier for drivers.
Combined with the spacious interior space, the Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen heavy truck is equipped with an industry-leading 1-meter wide sleeper berth, providing drivers with a comfortable resting environment comparable to home. A foldable seat is ingeniously integrated at the head of the sleeper berth, which can be used as a temporary seating area for receiving visitors or dining, further expanding the functional versatility of the cab interior.
The streamlined cab design not only optimizes external wind resistance, but also creates multiple practical storage spaces inside the vehicle. The cab is equipped with combined overhead cabinets, open storage slots and storage areas around the seats, with a total storage capacity of up to 420 liters. This ample space can easily accommodate clothes, tools, food and other necessities for long-haul trips, effectively keeping the cab tidy and organized.
Settling into the driver’s seat, you are immediately surrounded by a sense of technology and modernity. The full LCD instrument panel and floating central control screen form a dual-screen interactive system, presenting information in a clear and intuitive manner and significantly reducing reading complexity. The steering wheel is designed with a 50° tilt angle, which conforms to ergonomic principles and effectively alleviates shoulder and neck fatigue during long-distance driving. The forward field of view is widened by 37%; combined with the optimized A-pillar layout, this significantly reduces blind spots and improves driving safety. The convenience and technological atmosphere provided by the cab are on par with those of passenger vehicles.
The digital side mirror system is also applied on the Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen heavy truck, which not only further reduces wind resistance, but also provides a wider and more stable rear view, enhancing all-weather driving safety.
The Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen heavy truck leaves no stone unturned in visible areas, and it also boasts numerous highlights in underlying configurations that are not easily noticeable:
- The four-point floating cab suspension system is applied for the first time in a streamlined cab, effectively improving driving comfort.
- The first AI voice large model introduced in commercial vehicles can assist drivers in vehicle control and driving decision-making.
- Combined with 8 NVH optimization technologies and D-segment car-level sealing technology, the in-cab noise is significantly reduced, creating a quiet and comfortable driving environment and providing drivers with an impeccable, epoch-making comfortable experience.
Conclusion
The Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen heavy truck is more than just a product; it is a concentrated embodiment of Foton Cavan’s technological layout and scenario insights in the new energy heavy truck field. From the forward-developed “electricity-hydrogen compatible” platform, to the liquid hydrogen system that breaks the 1,000km range barrier, to the cross-domain integrated intelligent architecture and human-centric cab design, it comprehensively meets the high-level demands of current trunk line logistics for new energy heavy trucks in terms of economy, reliability, comfort and intelligence. As China’s first mass-produced liquid hydrogen heavy truck, the mass production of the Cavan BEACON liquid hydrogen heavy truck undoubtedly provides the industry with a forward-looking and practical benchmark option. It will also further drive the continuous development of China’s commercial vehicle industry towards green, intelligent and efficient directions. It is believed that just like its name—BEACON (a guiding light)—it will illuminate the future path for the development of China’s new energy commercial vehicles.
原创文章，作者：ctinsa，如若转载，请注明出处：https://www.ctinsa.com/new-trucks/7864
