Daimler Truck tests fuel-cell truck with liquid hydrogen

Since last year, a Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck fuel-cell prototype has been undergoing intensive testing — both on the in-house test track and on public roads. Daimler Truck (Stuttgart, Germany) is now putting another prototype into operation to test the use of liquid hydrogen (LH₂), backed by political support from Daniela Schmitt, Minister of Economic Affairs of Rhineland-Palatinate. This announcement follows Daimler Truck North America’s (DTNA, Portland, Ore., U.S.) collaboration with Cummins Inc. (Columbus, Ind., U.S.) to upfit and validate Freightliner Cascadia trucks with a Cummins H₂ fuel cell powertrain.

Recently, Daimler Truck says it celebrated the first successful LH₂ refueling of the truck together with Air Liquide (Paris, France) using a newly installed prototype filling station at the development and testing center in Wörth, Germany. During the refueling process, cryogenic liquid hydrogen at -253ºC (-423ºF) is filled into two 40-kilogram (88-pound) tanks mounted on either side of the chassis. Vehicle tank insulation is said to keep the hydrogen at temperature for a sufficiently long time without active cooling.

Daimler Truck notes that it prefers LH₂ in the development of hydrogen-based drives, as it has a higher energy density in relation to volume compared to gaseous hydrogen. As a result, more hydrogen can be carried, which significantly increases the range and enables comparable performance of the vehicle with that of a conventional diesel truck. The development objective of the series-ready GenH2 Truck is a range of up at least 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). This makes the truck suitable for flexible and demanding applications, according to the company, especially for heavy-duty long-haul transport. The start of series production for hydrogen-based trucks is planned for the second half of the decade.

At the same time, Daimler Truck is working together with Linde (Dublin, Ireland) on the development of a new process for handling LH₂ (“subcooled” sLH2 technology). Among other things, this innovative approach reportedly enables high storage density and easier refueling compared to LH₂. The companies plan for the first refueling of a prototype vehicle at a pilot station in Germany in 2023. Daimler expects to collaborate with other companies and associations to develop their own refueling and vehicle technologies that apply the new LH₂ standard and thereby establish a global mass market for the new process.

When it comes to infrastructure for hydrogen filling stations along important transport routes in Europe, Daimler Truck is also planning to work together with Shell, BP and TotalEnergies. Daimler Truck is also a shareholder in hydrogen filling station operator H2 Mobility Deutschland. In addition, Daimler Truck, IVECO, Linde, OMV, Shell, TotalEnergies and the Volvo Group have committed to work together to help create the conditions for the mass-market roll-out of hydrogen trucks in Europe as part of the H2Accelerate (H2A) interest group.

On its path towards a CO₂-neutral future, Daimler Truck consistently pursuing a dual-track strategy in the electrification of its portfolio with both battery-electric and hydrogen-based drives. The ambition is to offer only new vehicles that are carbon-neutral in driving operation in its global core markets by 2039.