In the final moments, Daimler Truck employees and partner entities, as well as journalists and other guests, struggled to conceal their anxiety. On a giant screen, it was possible to follow the last few hundred meters of the journey of the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck, a 40-ton truck that had left the German manufacturer’s factory in Woerth am Rhein, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, 17 hours earlier. The last obstacle, before entering Minister Garden in Berlin, was a narrow street and a gate, both barely accommodating such a majestic vehicle.

The final challenge was overcome, and this historic milestone, with the hashtag #HydrogenRecordRun, demonstrated that an electric truck with fuel cell technology could perform long-distance tasks without refueling, a feat previously only achievable with diesel trucks. The odometer read 1047 kilometers traveled.

The liquid hydrogen tanks were sealed at the start, and this challenge was authenticated by TÃœV Rheinland. The truck, which is a prototype, was certified for on-road use and covered the distance in real conditions, including full load.

Petra Dick-Walther, State Secretary Rhineland-Palantine, Thomas Kampmann expert TÃœV Rhineland, seal the LH2 deposits before the start

Andreas Gorbach, the Daimler Truck board member and chief technology officer, stated upon arrival: “To decarbonize transportation, we need both battery-electric trucks and hydrogen. The sweet spot for fuel cell trucks is in demanding long-distance transport. By surpassing the 1000-kilometer mark without refueling, we have clearly demonstrated that hydrogen trucks are far from mere talk, and we are making excellent progress toward mass production. At the same time, this record also indicates that decarbonizing transportation requires two other factors: a green energy infrastructure and competitive costs compared to conventional vehicles.”

The journey was undertaken under real conditions, with a total weight of 40 tons. The team of drivers drove for 17 hours

Liquid hydrogen. Why?

Before the journey, this truck was fueled with liquid hydrogen supplied by Air Liquide, a French company that produces hydrogen molecules using renewable energy, in this case, from biomethane with origin guarantees. One of the novelties of this project is the use of liquid hydrogen, which requires maintaining this element at a temperature below -253°C.

The advantage is its higher energy density compared to gaseous hydrogen (three times greater than compressed H2 at 350 bar). With liquid hydrogen, for every kilogram, you can transport the equivalent of 33.33 kWh of energy. Even considering that only about 50% reaches the electric motor, it’s an attractive ratio for long-haul freight transport, with a range comparable to diesel trucks. A piece of good news is that the side tanks proved quite efficient in maintaining the hydrogen’s temperature below its boiling point without active cooling (i.e., without consuming additional energy).

Daimler Truck is a signatory to the Paris Agreement and has committed to achieving operational net-zero emissions in its major markets—Europe, the USA, and Japan—by 2039. The group expects that Fuel Cell technology can contribute to this goal in the second half of this decade.

Andreas Gorbach, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck Holding AG, responsible for Truck Technology

Good intentions, complex challenges

Despite the achievement, which demonstrated the practical efficiency of a long-haul fuel cell truck, there are no doubts about the remaining obstacles for fuel cell trucks to become a viable alternative.

In this regard, Joachim Ladra from Cellcentric, a company resulting from a joint venture between Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group for the development of this technology, revealed: “Widespread adoption depends on three factors. The first is technology. The truck and its components, including the fuel cell system, need to perform at least as well as diesel. Today, it has been proven that we are well advanced in this regard. The second factor is refueling infrastructure. Legislation in Europe is already defined, and if we have a truck that can reach 1000 kilometers, we can have refueling stations every 200 kilometers. We are on the right track here, and it is expected that these two factors can mature for the market in synchrony. As for the third factor, a truck is an investment. It exists to generate revenue for its operator. The purchase decision is conditioned by the total cost of ownership. At the moment, a fuel cell truck is significantly more expensive than a diesel one. We need to achieve cost parity, and this will only be possible with regulator involvement. In Germany, for example, an exemption from circulation tax for zero-emission trucks has been approved starting in 2024. When we have these three pillars aligned, I see no reason to prevent this solution from becoming widespread in the market.”

Technological evolution

With the end of diesel trucks in major markets scheduled for 2039, Daimler Truck expects to provide solutions for all uses with both battery-electric trucks and electric Fuel Cell trucks. Although aware of research and development regarding batteries, Roland Dold, Head of Low-Emission Technologies at Daimler Truck, stated: “We expect evolution in both technologies, with greater efficiency. However, with 100 kg of liquid hydrogen, we have at least 1500 kWh to move the truck [Ed: the total onboard energy is 3300 kWh, but the fuel cell converts only about 50% into electric energy, which is transmitted to the traction battery]. It is hard to believe that [battery] cell development will achieve this energy density soon. We believe that the coexistence of battery technology and fuel cell technology will persist for a long time.”

Welectric’s take

There is no better way to demonstrate the viability of a technology than to take it to the field. In this sense, the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 truck met the requirements in a real-world challenge. It is a first step to show that, technically, it is possible. An interesting note is that this prototype is based on a diesel truck, so it is not a dedicated platform.

With elements close to those of a diesel truck and others to a battery-electric one, the Fuel Cell truck has lateral fuel tanks and a 70 kWh traction battery, but these elements are specific. For better energy performance and productivity, the fuel cell truck will need its own platform, likely different dimensions and legal framework as well.

Daimler Truck showed great transparency regarding the challenges associated with adopting this technology, evident in the images of the truck refueling. Liquid hydrogen requires specific safety precautions, especially given its extremely low temperature.

Filling a liquid hydrogen tank must be done with full protective equipment and appropriate training

The source of hydrogen for this use is naturally a significant source of various concerns in terms of environmental, logistical, and economic factors. Hydrogen produced by electrolysis with renewable energy and without emissions is too costly, with some analysts pointing to an energy cost about ten times higher than the same route traveled with an electric truck and four times higher than with a diesel truck.

Other hydrogen production alternatives may have lower prices but are unlikely to be emission-free. Nevertheless, some hydrogen production methods have a lower environmental impact than those using coal or gas and will likely see more development, especially in the European Union context of safety and energy self-reliance .

We are far from production scale values for both new technologies, but the initial acquisition cost commands respect, with an electric truck costing approximately three times more than a diesel one and fuel cell trucks, as prototypes, being about 4.5 times more expensive than their internal combustion equivalents.

In summary, the journey of fuel cell trucks to become market ready appears to be much more challenging than the one undertaken by this interesting Mercedes-Benz truck. The first 1000 kilometers will go down in history, a significant milestone in a process that began in 2020 when Daimler Truck announced its commitment to invest in hydrogen technology on a large scale in Berlin. The next steps will depend on numerous external factors and industry stakeholders. The only certainty is that we will follow the developments with anticipation and interest.

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