December 27th, 2009 
Aaron Turpen 
Vision Industries, who own Vision Motors, are probably best-known for their Cheetah supercar. It’s a hydrogen-powered sports car that will enter production early next year. Their Tyrano Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell trucks, however, are much more compelling.
The trucks are made in cooperation with Freightliner, who supplies Vision with the Freightliner Classic day-cab chassis for the big trucks. Vision then ads the hydrogen fuel-cell (HFC) and drive train to the vehicle. These trucks are capable of 55 or 70mph (depending on limiter) and are being leased in the Los Angeles, California area starting early next year. They are meant as port and local haulers, but are capable of full Class 8 specs.
They put out an impressive 3,300 ft-lbs of torque (536hp) using only clean energy!
This is primarily due to their electric motor layout, with one powering each drive axle. They have a range of 200-400 miles, depending on options and use, and are fueled entirely by compressed hydrogen (H2), which runs through a fuel cell to supply power to a small set of batteries which power the tractor.
They are 30% cheaper to operate than their diesel counterparts, 50% cheaper than their liquefied natural gas (LNG) counterparts, and have lower maintenance costs to boot. They are eligible for $40,000 in federal rebates and all California clean fuel commercial vehicle rebates as well.
They are fully legal for on-road and highway use by the California DOT and are undergoing approval from the federal DOT as well.
The Tyrano’s normal operating horsepower is 402, which is from 0 RPMs to max–as opposed to the normal torque window of a standard diesel. In fact, Vision Motors had to reduce the output of the motors so as not to twist the axles as the truck under full load (80,000 lbs. GVW) when starting from a standstill.
Another benefit of the Tyrano is the waiver on drayage and port fees due to the truck’s zero emissions, which California law exempts from the current $70 container tax.
Here’s video of the Tyrano in action pulling loaded dry vans during its qualification tests for CADOT:
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