Idling for extended is a reality for many
commercial drivers, especially those who drive long distances. Idling provides the truck with electricity and air
conditioning while it is sitting. Volvo is teaming up with a Norwegian company, Statoil ASA, to develop small fuel
cell power units that would use hydrogen from diesel fuel to provide electricity for idle commercial trucks.
The proposed solution would be small enough to fit into standard trucks. There are a myriad of aftermarket solutions
that fill this need, but this is the first effort by a manufacturer to provide a fuel cell based solution.
This would solve the problem of electricity generation, but for those in the south that require air
conditioning a solution will need to be worked out. An electrically driven compressor will probably be the easiest
route in that case.