Underlining its ongoing commitment to hydrogen as a power source for heavy and long distance truck operations Daimler Truck has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding with a major European logistics company and Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries, that it says aims to explore the development of a reliable and cost-effective supply chain for green liquid hydrogen across Europe.
Daimler signed the MoU with Hamburger Hafen und Logistik (HHLA) and Kawasaki at the international trade fair “Hydrogen Technology World Expo” in Hamburg, with the partnership designed to enable the import of liquid hydrogen from hydrogen-producing countries to Germany.
Dainler has stood behind its commitment to hydrogen, while other truck makers, notably Traton has derided the technology as too expensive and difficult
The company said the signing reinforced Hamburg’s role as a hub for sustainable energy logistics.
Daimler says that over the coming months, the partners will assess the logistical requirements for transshipment and onward transport by road and rail. and will also seek to attract additional companies and institutions to form a consortium that spans the entire hydrogen value chain.
“Europe will continue to rely on green energy imports in the future and hydrogen will play a key role here and this partnership is an important step in this direction, and we will need more initiatives like this to strengthen Europe’s position as a leader in liquid hydrogen,” said Daimler Truck, and Head of Truck Technology and board member, Dr. Andreas Gorbach.
” What makes it special is that our Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck can not only be powered by liquid green hydrogen but can also transport the hydrogen by road, and the best thing about it isa that hydrogen allows us to increase the speed of decarbonisation, as well as reducing the scope and cost of the already slow expansion of the power grid,” Gorbach said.
HHLA’s chief financial officer Annette Walter said hydrogen is one of the keys to a climate-neutral future and the company is committed to actively shaping this transformation.
“Liquid hydrogen plays a central role in this, as it can be transported independently of pipelines, and is a decisive advantage for mobility, logistics, aviation, and especially for small and medium-sized companies,” Walter said.
“Our goal is to reliably supply the industry with hydrogen via our European logistics network and the partnership with Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Daimler Truck is an important step toward making liquid hydrogen more widely available and jointly advancing decarbonisation,” she said.
Kei Nomura, the executive central manager for Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ hydrogen strategy division, said that liquid hydrogen is a vital key to realising a sustainable energy society, and it has long been committed to building the technological foundation to support it.
“We are very pleased to be working with HHLA and Daimler Truck to explore the feasibility of establishing an international supply chain for liquid hydrogen in Europe, starting with Hamburg,” he said.
“Kawasaki Heavy Industries possesses proven technologies and experience in the production, storage, transportation, and reception of liquid hydrogen and we will leverage this expertise to contribute to the development of a hydrogen supply network in Europe.
“Going forward, we remain committed to expanding the use of liquid hydrogen through global partnerships and accelerating the transition to a decarbonized society,” he said.
Daimler said that Kawasaki Heavy Industries as an experienced technology provider in the field of hydrogen infrastructure, while HHLA as a European network logistics provider.
Kawasaki says it is working together with government agencies and related companies in Japan and overseas, to develop technology for the early establishment of a hydrogen supply chain from production to transportation, storage, and usage.
It says a key part of this strategy is the commissioning of liquid hydrogen carrier ships capable of carrying up to 160,000 cubic metres of liquid hydrogen on board and in the future ships comparable to today’s LNG carriers.
HHLA as a European logistics group, is also positioning itself in the area of importing and distributing hydrogen.
The company has an extensive network spanning various seaports through to the European hinterland, and says it is well positioned to seize new opportunities in the field of hydrogen import and transport.
HHLA says it is also working intensively on the use of fuel cells in handling equipment and in heavy goods transport with its Clean Ports and Logistics cluster, with the aim of contributing to the sustainable reduction of greenhouse gases and other harmful emissions.
Daimler Truck says that to decarbonise transport it is pursuing a dual-track strategy with both battery-electric and hydrogen-powered trucks.
The company has been developing and testing its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck prototypes equipped with fuel cells 2ince 2021, demonstrating the reliability and performance for flexible, long-haul transport.
Daimler says that in 2023, a prototype GenH2 Truck showcased the potential of liquid hydrogen for road transport by completing a 1,047-kilometer trip across Germany on a single tank of liquid hydrogen under real-world conditions.
Daimler says it has also recently concluded initial customer trials, with a fleet of five GenH2 Trucks collectively covering more than 225,000 kilometres in actual operations.
The company says that a second phase of trials with the same fleet and different customers is planned for the next year.
It added that it intends to produce a small series of 100 next-generation semi trailer prime movers at its Woerth plant in Germany, with customer field operations scheduled to begin at the end of 2026.
The company says it aims to achieve large-scale industrialisation of fuel cell technology and commence series production of hydrogen-powered trucks initially targeting the European market in the early 2030s.
