Daimler Truck is taking another step on the road to sustainable transport, with hydrogen engines in this case. Daimler Truck is currently commissioning another prototype to test the use of liquid hydrogen. The development program enjoys the political support of Daniela Schmitt, Minister of Economics of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, who today inaugurated the regional hydrogen week “WOCHE DES WASSERSTOFFS SÜD” (#wdws2022) with a test road in Wörth-am-Rhein, Germany.
A newly installed prototype filling station in the development and test center in Wörth is used to fill up with liquid hydrogen. Daimler Truck recently celebrated the first successful refueling of the truck with liquid hydrogen (LH2) in collaboration with Air Liquide. During the refueling process, cryogenic liquid hydrogen at minus 253 degrees Celsius is poured into two 40 kg tanks mounted on either side of the chassis. Thanks to the particularly good insulation of the vehicle tanks, the hydrogen can be kept at temperature for a sufficiently long period without active cooling.
Daimler Truck favors liquid hydrogen in the development of hydrogen engines. In this state of aggregation, the energy carrier has a density relative to volume that is significantly greater than that of hydrogen gas. As a result, more hydrogen can be transported, which significantly increases the range and achieves performance comparable to that of a conventional diesel truck. The development goal of the GenH2 truck is to achieve a range of 1,000 kilometers or more. The truck is therefore suitable for flexible and demanding applications, especially in the essential segment of heavy long-haul transport. The launch of mass production of hydrogen trucks is planned for the second half of the decade.
At the same time, Daimler Truck is working with Linde on the development of a new liquid hydrogen treatment process (“subcooled” liquid hydrogen, “sLH2 technology”). This innovative approach allows, among other things, an even higher storage density and easier refueling compared to the LH2. The companies plan the first refueling of a prototype vehicle at a pilot station in Germany in 2023. Daimler Truck and its partners plan a high level of transparency and openness around the relevant interfaces of the jointly developed sLH2 technology. The aim is to collaborate as much as possible with other companies and associations to develop their own refueling and vehicle technologies that use this liquid hydrogen and thus establish a global mass market for the new process.
Regarding the infrastructure of hydrogen refueling stations along the main transport axes in Europe, Daimler Truck plans to collaborate with the companies Shell, BP and TotalEnergies. Daimler Truck is also a shareholder in the hydrogen service station operator H2 MOBILITY Deutschland. In addition, Daimler Truck, IVECO, Linde, OMV, Shell, TotalEnergies and the Volvo Group have pledged to work together to create the conditions for the mass deployment of hydrogen trucks in Europe as part of the interest group H2Accelerate (H2A ).
On the way to a CO2-neutral future, Daimler Truck has clearly defined its strategic direction and is consistently pursuing a dual-track strategy in the electrification of its portfolio with battery and hydrogen engines. The ambition is to offer only new carbon-neutral vehicles in its main global markets by 2039.
Daimler Truck press release.
