Espoo – – October 21, 2026 -- A battery-electric heavy truck with a 120 kW hydrogen fuel cell as backup power will start regular freight operations in Finland in late 2026, covering 540 kilometres per day under a pilot led by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.
The SISU Escalate, built by Sisu Auto, runs primarily on electricity. The fuel cell serves as a secondary source for quick energy top-ups on long-haul assignments. The truck carries a 650 kWh battery, and the hydrogen tanks and battery pack make its chassis longer than a typical tractor unit.
Jylhä Logistics will run the truck between Vuosaari harbour and Jyväskylä
Jylhä Logistics will operate the articulated vehicle on the route from Vuosaari harbour in southern Finland to Jyväskylä in the centre of the country. It will also take on regional distribution jobs in the Helsinki metropolitan area. The route uses Finland's first hydrogen fuel station, built in Jyväskylä, and charging stations at both ends. A megawatt-scale charging station will be built along the way.
The partner group is Finnish. IONCOR supplies the battery system and Kempower the MCS charging infrastructure. Hevtec handles the vehicle-side charging solution and the integration of the electric powertrain. Logistics company Rauanheimo tested the truck's first, full-electric version in spring 2026.
Six months of vehicle data and a digital twin will benchmark costs against diesel
VTT will monitor the truck for six months using vehicle data and a digital twin. The team will track electricity and hydrogen use, the effect of weather on consumption and operating limitations. Price data on hydrogen and charging will show how much energy should be loaded and where. The results will be benchmarked against diesel-powered vehicles to assess cost benefits.
Mikko Pihlatie, Research Professor at VTT, said the findings will help develop the charging station network and optimise energy consumption.
Finnish winter and 68-tonne gross weight make this the toughest of four European pilots
Four trucks with different structures and power sources are being piloted across Europe in the project. According to Pihlatie, the SISU Escalate is the heaviest and longest of them, and Finland's winter makes its environment the most demanding.
Finland and Sweden allow articulated vehicles weighing up to 76 tonnes, while articulated trucks elsewhere in Europe tend to weigh around 40 tonnes. In this pilot, the gross combination weight is limited to 68 tonnes. The truck will test how zero-emission powertrains and charging and fuel stations perform in these configurations.
Sisu Auto says the truck is a test platform, not a product, and hydrogen costs more
Petri Kananen, Head of Development at Sisu Auto, said the truck will not be launched on the market. Its learnings will guide the choice of solutions for a future product series. Sisu Auto will use the data to develop energy management systems and maximise distance driven on battery power, because "hydrogen is, after all, the more expensive fuel."
Juuso Kelkka, Senior Manager of Technology Development at IONCOR, said the modular battery platform must work in a 76-tonne articulated vehicle, in harsh winter conditions and on a long-haul route. He said the pilot can prove that lithium-ion batteries are viable under these conditions.
EU-funded ESCALATE project links 37 partners from 13 countries
The pilot is part of ESCALATE, a Horizon Europe project with 37 partners from 13 countries. It aims to prove that zero-emission heavy vehicles can operate reliably in real-world conditions. Trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles account for approximately one quarter of the EU's road transport CO2 emissions, according to the project.
The vehicle will be on display at European Hydrogen Week in Brussels from 26 to 30 October.