Trailblazer 06 | Craig Knight | Hydrogen Innovator
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Craig Knight is the Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Hyzon Motors, a global supplier of zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell-powered commercial vehicles, including heavy-duty trucks, buses and coaches. Hyzon was established as a new business of Horizon Fuel Cell, a company with an 18-year history commercialising hydrogen technology development for the transport sector.
Born in Australia, Craig has a diverse industrial background, with over 25 years experience in International Sales and Marketing and Business Management. In a visionary move in 2003, Craig joined George Gu and Gary Robb on a mission to build the world’s first profitable fuel cell company. Driven by curiosity, ambition, and innovation, Horizon’s objective was to achieve sustainable decarbonisation targets without relying on government subsidies of billions of dollars of private capital, and to create a profitable fuel cell company, in an industry that had not seen a profit in 30 years. Since then, Horizon has successfully scaled up its fuel cell stack capability alongside stack materials and hydrogen storage, all the way through to heavy vehicle integration expertise.
Hyzon Motors was established in 2020 as a spin-off from Horizon. Craig and the team saw a global opportunity for substantial uptake of heavy-duty fuel cell vehicles. Today they are focused on producing the world’s most powerful and cleanest heavy transport options. The company is empowering the growing hydrogen ecosystem by reducing logistics and cost barriers to ensure decarbonising heavy road transport makes business sense as well as environmental sense. Craig believes the world is truly recognising the need to develop innovative solutions to mitigate climate change and accelerate efforts to move the world economy down the path to net-zero emissions.
Craig is a great believer collaboration. He led the launch of the Hyzon Zero Carbon Alliance in April, bringing together a collective of companies committed to a cleaner transport future.
Born from the need to create global change in heavy-duty mobility, Alliance members are progressive organisations from across the value chain contributing to the growing momentum behind hydrogen and catalysing the adoption of hydrogen heavy vehicles.
Hydrogen is emerging as a crucial component of the future energy landscape. The number of countries cementing and then enhancing their national hydrogen strategies expands almost weekly. To support further company growth, in February, Hyzon and Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ:DCRB) announced a definitive agreement for a business combination that would result in Hyzon becoming a publicly listed company.
Craig believes we all have a personal obligation to make a positive impact, and he has made it his mission to be a facilitator of decarbonisation for the wellbeing of future generations.
Our pick of the quotes:
“It wouldn’t have mattered how beautiful the technology was, sitting in a lab, it only matters that the technology is capable when the external factors line up to support the adoption.”
“The global hydrogen revolution for commercial vehicles is here, and Hyzon Motors is at the vanguard.”
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