Daimler Truck Receives Road Approval for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck

Daimler Truck is consistently pursuing its technology strategy for the electrification of its truck fleet and has now reached the next milestone: In October, the further developed prototype of the hydrogen-based fuel cell truck Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck received road approval from the relevant German authorities.

(Stuttgart) The truck manufacturer Daimler Truck had already begun testing the further developed prototype of its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck, which was presented in 2020, on closed test tracks of the company in April. There, the hydrogen-powered fuel cell truck, designed for ranges of up to 1,000 kilometers and more without refueling stops in its series version, successfully completed several thousand test kilometers. Now, its testing is being expanded to public roads. This includes the B462 near Rastatt, where, as part of the eWayBW project, the transport of goods with overhead line trucks is to be tested for electrification. Comparative tests of the purely battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros with the overhead line trucks and fuel cell trucks from other manufacturers are also planned. Daimler Truck itself does not plan to produce overhead line trucks. Since July 2019, the eActros has been successfully tested in practice by the logistics company Schmitt in the region around Rastatt.

Only CO2-Neutral New Vehicles by 2039

With the road approval of the GenH2 Truck, Daimler Truck has achieved an important milestone on the way to series production – from 2027, the truck manufacturer aims to deliver the first series vehicles to customers and also has the ambition to offer only new vehicles in Europe, Japan, and North America that are CO2-neutral in operation (“tank-to-wheel”) by the year 2039. For this purpose, the truck manufacturer relies on the electrification of its vehicles and pursues a dual strategy with the use of battery-electric drives or hydrogen-based systems. With this combination of technologies, Daimler Truck can offer its customers the best vehicle options depending on the application: The lighter the load and the shorter the distance, the more likely the battery will be used. The heavier the load and the longer the distance, the more likely the fuel cell will be the means of choice.
Photo: @ Daimler Truck