Daimler trucks plans to produce hydrogen trucks with a range of around 1000 kilometers. Liquid hydrogen should come into the tanks, which has a higher energy density than gaseous hydrogen and therefore enables longer ranges. The manufacturer announced this on Monday in the southern Palatinate town of Wörth am Rhein. The truck builder has a large plant there.
The first test vehicles with fuel cells are already on the road. Test fleets with hydrogen trucks are to come onto the market in the middle of the decade and be tested by customers from 2025. In the second half of the decade, the fuel cell truck should then go into series production, as the manufacturer reported.
The truck industry is under pressure from the EU to comply with binding climate protection targets. New models should emit an average of 15 percent less carbon dioxide by 2025 and at least 30 percent by 2030. The reference period for this is 2019/20. If the requirements are not met, there are high penalties.
In order to secure production, Daimler Truck wants to build a fuel cell factory with Volvo in Weilheim an der Teck, Swabia. 800 people are said to work there. The Cellcentric joint venture is responsible for this project.
In the transition from the combustion engine to new drives, Daimler Truck relies on batteries and fuel cells. By the end of the decade, zero-emission commercial vehicles are expected to account for up to 60 percent of sales. The manufacturer is one of the world’s leading industry companies and employs more than 100,000 people.
Daimler Truck is involved in several partnerships to set up charging infrastructure for hydrogen. So there is an agreement with the energy giants bp, Shell and total energy to set up hydrogen filling stations.