A Finnish heavy truck pilot will test whether combining a large rechargeable battery with hydrogen fuel cells can deliver reliable long-haul freight transport at a gross combination weight of 68 tonnes.
The SISU Escalate truck is due to begin normal transport operations in late 2026, covering 540 kilometres a day between Vuosaari harbour in southern Finland and Jyväskylä in the country’s centre.
Led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the project will measure energy consumption, reliability and operating costs, with results benchmarked against diesel vehicles.
For heavy vehicle operators, the trial addresses a practical question: how should batteries, charging infrastructure and hydrogen be combined to meet demanding freight schedules?
Battery power takes the lead
Manufactured by Sisu Auto, the truck combines a 650 kWh battery with a hydrogen fuel cell delivering up to 120 kW as a secondary power source.
The approach prioritises electricity, with hydrogen providing additional energy for longer transport assignments. The battery pack and hydrogen tanks require a longer chassis than normally used for a prime mover.
Sisu Auto Head of Development Petri Kananen said the vehicle was a technology demonstrator, with findings intended to guide future commercial products.
“The data will help us develop energy management systems and optimise driving with the battery to maximise the distance that can be driven with electricity,” Kananen said.
Hydrogen’s higher cost makes that energy management strategy an important part of the trial.
Testing the operating model
Jylhä Logistics will operate the truck on the long-haul route, alongside regional distribution work in the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Charging is available at both ends of the route, with a megawatt-scale charging station planned along it. The truck will also use a hydrogen refuelling station in Jyväskylä.
Over six months, researchers will monitor how weather, operating conditions and infrastructure affect performance. Vehicle data and a digital twin will support the assessment.
The team will combine consumption figures with electricity and hydrogen prices to calculate where energy should be loaded and how much of each source should be used.
This moves the assessment beyond whether the truck can complete a journey to whether it can do so economically and consistently.
Heavy loads and winter conditions
The SISU is one of four trucks being piloted across Europe through the EU-funded ESCALATE project, which is examining different vehicle configurations and energy sources.
VTT Research Professor Mikko Pihlatie said the Finnish vehicle faced particularly demanding conditions.
“With its size and the difficult winter conditions in Finland, the operating environment of this truck is the most demanding of the four,” Pihlatie said.
Finland and Sweden operate longer and heavier combinations than those commonly used elsewhere in Europe, including vehicles weighing up to 76 tonnes. The SISU pilot will operate at a lower maximum gross combination weight of 68 tonnes.
The trial will examine how the powertrain, charging equipment and hydrogen infrastructure perform under these heavier transport requirements.
Infrastructure is part of the test
The project brings together several Finnish suppliers. IONCOR provides the battery system, Kempower supplies the megawatt charging infrastructure, and Hevtec is responsible for the vehicle-side charging solution and electric powertrain integration.
An earlier battery-electric version of the truck was tested by logistics company Rauanheimo in spring 2026.
For Australian heavy transport fleets, the trial’s relevance lies in its assessment of the complete operating system: vehicle capability, payload requirements, energy availability, charging time and cost.
The Finnish results will not establish suitability for Australian routes, but they could provide useful evidence on how battery and hydrogen technologies work together in heavier combinations—and whether the added flexibility justifies the extra equipment and infrastructure.
