Brazil's First Hydrogen-Powered Heavy Truck in Operation! Initiates Zero-Carbon Transportation in South America

Brazil's First Hydrogen-Powered Heavy Truck in Operation! Vision Motor's "New Long March 1" Initiates Zero-Carbon Transportation in South America

metal.com | Aug 19, 2025

In mid-August, a "New Long March 1" hydrogen-powered heavy truck, adorned with the emblems of China and Brazil, slowly entered a logistics park in São Paulo State, Brazil. This 49-ton tractor, powered by a core system from Visionary Energy, is not only the first hydrogen-powered heavy truck to hit the ground in South America but also marks the official entry of Chinese hydrogen technology into the Brazilian market.

Customized for Specific Scenarios

As a flagship product jointly developed by Great Wall Commercial Vehicles and Visionary Energy, the "New Long March 1" has been deeply optimized for medium- to long-distance heavy haulage in Brazil: equipped with a 110kW fuel cell system and a 35MPa hydrogen storage system, it can be refueled with 12 kg of hydrogen in just 10 minutes, offering a driving range exceeding 500 kilometers, with hydrogen consumption below 10 kg per 100 kilometers. To address the local humid and hot climate, the team specifically enhanced the cooling system, ensuring continuous operation at 40°C for 12 hours without performance degradation. Previously, this vehicle had achieved operational scale of 300 units in domestic steel and port scenarios, cumulatively reducing emissions by over 20,000 tons, verifying its reliability under complex conditions such as starting at -30°C and climbing hills at high altitudes.

A Two-Year Journey Reaches Its Destination

This delivery stems from the Great Wall Group's deep strategic layout in Brazil. Following a field trip by Brazilian Vice President Alckmin to the Visionary Energy Hydrogen Industrial Park during his visit to China in 2024, both parties accelerated their technical collaboration: through a technology roadshow at the SAE Brazil exhibition, signing a hydrogen memorandum with São Paulo State, they ultimately targeted Brazil's annual demand for over 1 billion mt of road freight. "We have specially adapted to utilize by-product hydrogen from ethanol production in Brazil, making the operating cost per kilometer 15% lower than that of diesel vehicles," revealed a Visionary Energy representative in Brazil. The first vehicle is expected to be deployed on an iron ore transportation route in September, collaborating with the University of São Paulo to conduct liquid hydrogen refueling tests.

From Single Vehicle to Ecosystem: The "Brazilian Model"...more
https://news.metal.com/newscontent/103487409/Brazils-First-Hydrogen-Powered-Heavy-Truck-in-Operation-Vision-Motors-%22New-Long-March-1%22-Initiates-Zero-Carbon-Transportation-in-South-America



Great Wall Motors Hydrogen Power System

Those following China's Electric cars will know what Great Wall Motors is - one of the leading car manufacturing companies in China.

The vehicle-grade full-scenario solution

International leading vehicle-grade "hydrogen power system" full-scenario solution: "Hydrogen Lemon Technology" is one of the core technology routes of GWM Lemon platform, covering hydrogen fuel cell systems, on-board hydrogen storage systems, and core key components.It is a zero-carbon transportation solution with high performance, high safety, long endurance, all-weather, and all-field characteristics.
https://www.gwm-global.com/innovation/futuretech.html

Overheard: Hydrogen is an "energy hog"

So are "Data Centers". However, "Data Centers" can't make electricity OR haul your tomatoes to market

California is Paying Other States to Take Its Solar Energy

California is producing so much clean energy using solar farms that it sometimes has to pay utilities in other states to take some of it away.

Again: California is producing so much clean energy using solar farms that it sometimes has to pay utilities in other states to take some of it away.

The news comes in a Los Angeles Times report which also says in the past 12 months California has forgone enough solar energy to power 518,000 homes for a year (three million megawatt-hours), due to supply exceeding demand and an inability to store the surplus.
https://www.newsweek.com/california-producing-too-much-clean-energy-paying-other-states-take-it-1995346

Remember: Washington DC doesn't want hydrogen and will lie, cheat and steal to prevent it. They will fail though.