Fuel cell technology’s case rests on the long-haul segment, where refuelling speed, range, and payload sensitivity create constraints that battery systems handle less efficiently at current cell densities. Cellcentric’s proprietary stack technology is designed specifically for heavy-duty applications where duty cycles, thermal management requirements, and durability targets differ materially from passenger vehicle fuel cells. No partnership structure, however credible its technology credentials, resolves the hydrogen cost problem from the supply side of the fuel cell system. The Cellcentric consortium’s ability to bring fuel cell system costs down through manufacturing scale is the demand-side lever. The hydrogen cost trajectory depends on green hydrogen production scale-up, electrolyser cost reduction, and the rate at which the TEN-T corridor refuelling network materialises under AFIR requirements.