---
title: "Plug Power, Workhorse, and FedEx Team up on Fuel-Cell Delivery Vehicle"
description: "A FedEx hydrogen fuel-cell delivery van has entered service at one of the company's New York state facilities."
date: "2018-05-01"
modified: "2018-05-01"
authors:
  - name: "Stephen Edelstein"
    job_title: "Weekend Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stephen-edelstein"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/tech/20515/plug-power-workhorse-and-fedex-team-up-on-fuel-cell-delivery-vehicle"
categories:
  - "Car Tech"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Commercial Vehicles"
  - "FedEx"
  - "hydrogen"
  - "Hydrogen Fuel-Cell"
  - "Workhorse"
---

# Plug Power, Workhorse, and FedEx Team up on Fuel-Cell Delivery Vehicle

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/04/express-courier-packages-master_az_3569_160-112.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Three companies have teamed up to put a hydrogen fuel-cell delivery vehicle into regular service. The vehicle is an EGEN van built by Workhorse, a company best known [for its battery-electric vehicles](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/18704/ups-adding-workhorse-electric-vans-to-its-delivery-fleet>), with a hydrogen powertrain and fueling station supplied by Plug Power. It operates at a FedEx facility in Menands, New York, near the state capital of Albany.

The single Class 5 van operates on a standard FedEx delivery route, according to Plug Power. It has already racked up more than 3,000 miles in initial on-road tests, and the company expects it to accumulate 27,000 more miles in service over the next six months. That will go a long way (no pun intended) toward promoting the use of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles in commercial applications.

So will Plug Power's range claims. The company estimates a range of more than 160 miles per delivery cycle, and claims this is 166 percent better than what an equivalent battery-powered delivery van could achieve.

As is always the case with hydrogen fuel cells, fueling infrastructure will likely be the limiting factor. The FedEx delivery van refuels at a station built by Plug Power in Latham, New York. It's one of just a handful of public hydrogen stations on the East Coast. That should be adequate for a single vehicle, but for hydrogen to displace diesel or gasoline, more stations will be needed.

FedEx previously worked with Plug Power to provide fueling infrastructure for hydrogen fuel-cell airport tractors at its air-cargo hub in Memphis, Tennessee. The logistics giant has also tested delivery vans that use both fuel cells and battery packs together. Toyota is currently testing [its "Project Portal" fuel-cell semi truck](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/15108/toyota-set-to-begin-testing-its-project-portal-hydrogen-semi-truck>) in California, and [Nikola Motors](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/19940/nikola-to-refund-customer-deposits-for-fuel-cell-semi-trucks>) hopes to start production of its own fuel-cell semi in 2020.

Because they operate on predictable routes that never take them far from a central terminal, delivery vehicles may be a better application for hydrogen fuel-cell powertrains than passenger cars, [which have struggled](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/17924/toyota-mirai-hydrogen-fuel-cell-car-tops-3000-california-sales>) due to a lack of available fueling stations. But producing enough hydrogen for a large fleet of vehicles may still be difficult, and fuel cells still face stiff competition [from batteries](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/20089/volvo-debuts-its-first-electric-truck-the-fl-electric>) in the race to lower emissions.

## Author
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he's not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/SAEdelstein>)