Heavy Trucks: Daimler Truck Bets on Liquid Hydrogen

Daimler Truck will soon have a second prototype powered by liquid hydrogen, one year after the first was put into service.

Will diesel trucks that travel our roads someday be replaced by hydrogen models? For many industry players, this is not utopian. Daimler Truck, for example, is actively exploring this path, focusing its efforts on liquid hydrogen (LH2).

The German manufacturer is already testing a prototype (the GenH2), on track and also on public roads. The truck, which has been operating for about a year, will soon be joined by a second prototype also using liquid hydrogen to power its fuel cell.

A complex refueling process

Liquid hydrogen presents serious challenges in terms of refueling and storage. “During the refueling process, cryogenic liquid hydrogen below -253 degrees Celsius is poured into two 40 kg tanks mounted on either side of the chassis,” explains Daimler Truck. “Thanks to the particularly good insulation of the vehicle’s tanks, hydrogen can be maintained at temperature for a sufficiently long period without active cooling.”

The manufacturer is working with Air Liquide to find viable solutions. It has an experimental filling station at its development and testing center in Wörth, Germany.

Compared to gaseous hydrogen, liquid hydrogen has a higher energy density. This makes it possible to store more in the tanks, resulting in greater range. If Daimler Truck achieves its goals, its liquid hydrogen trucks could travel around 1,000 km on a full tank, or even a bit more.

Still more work ahead

Daimler Truck aims to mass-produce hydrogen trucks in the second half of the decade. The manufacturer is part of the H2Accelerate program, which seeks to accelerate the arrival of hydrogen heavy trucks in Europe. IVECO, OMV, Shell, and Volvo Group are also involved in this initiative.

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