Daimler has put the accelerator down on its hydrogen truck program bringing forward the start of production of the until now prototype fuel cell trucks, although the original on sale date of 2028 appears to have been pushed out to 2030.
Daimler says that the moves come after the development and testing program of its prototype first-generation fuel cell trucks, with the company labelling the latest incarnation, the Mercedes-Benz NextGenH2 Truck.
Daimler reckons that the fuel cell truck represents another development milestone for the company on its path to sustainable hydrogen powered transportation.
The company said that In a small-series production run at the Mercedes-Benz plant at Wörth in Germany it will produce 100 prime movers featuring further developments which will then be deployed with various customers from the end of this year onwards.
Daimler Truck Australia Pacific vice president of sales, marketing and operations, Andrew Assimo, said the news about the NextGenH2 introduction is exciting.
“The start of the Mercedes-Benz NextGenH2 production for European markets represents a major milestone for sustainable trucking,” Assimo said.
“We have no immediate plans for its introduction in Australia, but that is certainly something we will consider as we watch its roll-out across Europe,” he added.
The CEO of Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Achim Puchert, said that in addition to battery-electric solutions, hydrogen-based drives are crucial for the sustainable transformation of our industry.
“With the NextGenH2 Truck, we are taking the next technological step in fuel cell trucks. Together with our customers, we aim to introduce the small series with high range and near production ready technology into daily transport operations from the end of 2026,” Puchert said.
Daimler says its engineering team has retained what it describes as the proven strengths of its first-generation Mercedes-Benz GenH2 truck in developing the new model.
The company is claiming that liquid hydrogen will enable ranges well more than 1,000 kilometres on a single tank at full load. We understand this equates to a load of about 85kg of liquid hydrogen. It will continue to use he proven cellcentric BZA150 fuel cell which converts hydrogen into electrical energy on board. Cellcentric is the joint venture operation jointly owned by Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, to develop fuel cells and hydrogen as a zero emission for heavy duty and long range truck operations. The cellcentric operation is based just outside Stuttgart in Germany.
Daimler says that key upgrades to the new GenH2 prime mover will include, along with the proven series components from the battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros 600s, including the latest generation integrated e-axles, the aerodynamically optimised ProCabin design, its Multimedia Cockpit Interactive 2 and cutting-edge safety and assistance systems based on the current E/E architecture.
Mercedes-Benz says that Like its predecessor, the NextGenH2 Truck is suited for highly flexible and demanding longhaul applications.
Daimler says that in the development of hydrogen-based drives, it has arrived at a preference for the use of liquid hydrogen.
This has been one of the primary questions about how to fuel the fuel cell trucks. Daimler went through a number of scenarios before arriving at liquid hydrogen as the best option. Liquid hydrogen, which is stored at -253 degrees Celsius, has a significantly higher energy density compared to gaseous hydrogen, allowing more hydrogen to be stored, which Daimler says substantially increasing range and delivering performance comparable to conventional diesel trucks.
The company says that the capacity of the two liquid hydrogen tanks has been increased compared to the first generation of the GenH2, so that a total of up to 85 kg of hydrogen can now be filled.
It says that refuelling is possible from both sides with both tanks connected with each other. It added that using the sLH2 refuelling standard which it developed with industrial gas giant Linde, means the truck can be filled with liquid hydrogen within about 10 to 15 minutes, which it claims to be as safe, fast, and simple as refuelling current diesel trucks.
The company reckons that transporting liquid hydrogen requires less logistical effort, and that liquid hydrogen tanks also offer cost and weight advantages over gaseous high-pressure tanks.
Daimler says that these benefits enable higher payloads, which it adds makes deployments comparable with today’s diesel trucks.
Daimler Truck says that it successfully demonstrated this at the end of 2023 during what it calls, the #HydrogenRecordRun, which saw a Mercedes-Benz GenH2 with a gross combined vehicle weight of around 40 tonnes cover 1,047 km on a single filling of liquid hydrogen.
It claims the cellcentric BZA150 fuel cell remains the heart of the NextGenH2 Truck’s drive system. Two fuel cell units operate as a twin system with a total system output of 300 kW or 150 kW each.
These it says are integrated in a space saving layout in what would be normally be the engine compartment beneath the cab in a current diesel truck.
The company claims that over years of intensive testing, the hydrogen-powered drive concept has impressed with its reliability and efficiency under real world conditions.
It says that in early customer trials with the GenH2, hydrogen consumption averaged between 5.6 kg/100 km and 8 kg/100 km, with gross combined vehicle weights ranging between 16 and 34 tonnes.
Daimler adds that while in operation the fuel cell generates electrical energy through the reaction between hydrogen (H₂) and oxygen (O₂). This together with a buffer battery, this powers the electric motors integrated into the e-axle, delivering strong propulsion and the only emission from this process is pure water vapor.
Mercedes-Benz claims its NextGenH2 impresses with its high technological maturity, which it says is thanks in part to the use of state-of-the-art components from Mercedes-Benz series production trucks.
As mentioned earlier this includes the new ProCabin, which is already offered in the MercedesBenz Actros L and the battery-electric eActros 600, and is now featured for the first time in a fuel cell truck. As a result it says the NextGenH2 benefits from a nine per cent improvement in the drag co-efficient compared to the previous cab.
Daimler says that the NextGenH2 offers a high-level driving experience, on par with its battery-electric counterpart, the eActros 600. It addd that the dynamic power delivery thanks to its instantly available high torque, smooth and comfortable handling, and low in-cabin and exterior noise are well-known advantages that the fuel cell truck, as an electrically powered vehicle using hydrogen as its energy source, can fully exploit.
Even in demanding driving situations such as steep gradients or high payloads, the truck delivers up to 340 kW in Economy Mode and up to 370 kW in Power Mode.
The company says that at the heart of the energy storage system is a high-voltage battery developed by Daimler with an installed capacity of 101 kWh. This lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery serves as a buffer for the fuel cell and stores energy during recuperation.
The NextGenH2 Truck uses the same efficient in-house-developed electric drive axle as used in the eActros 600, with a four-speed transmission, including two reverse gears, for optimal power delivery at all times.
These components enable together highly efficient energy recuperation, when driving downhill or during braking, feeding regenerated electricity directly back into the buffer battery noticeably extending overall range and improving consumption.
Daimler says that the high-voltage components along with its latest E/E architecture have also been carried over from the eActros 600. So the NextGenH2 features the latest advanced safety systems, including Active Brake Assist 6, Front Guard Assist, and Active Sideguard Assist 2, as well as compliance with current cybersecurity standards.
Daimler says that customer trials of the GenH2 have provided valuable feedback for its development team, saying it directly influenced improvements in the NextGenH2 and further increasing customer benefit.
The company also added that thanks to its innovative, space-saving component arrangement in the Tech Tower behind the cab, which is now significantly more compact.
This means that the wheelbase has been shortened by 150 mm compared to the previous GenH2 model, with the new one having a length of 4,000 mm, which it says increases flexibility for customers by enabling compatibility with various trailer combinations and a wide range of standard trailers within EU length regulations.
Daimler says the Tech Tower also houses a new boil-off management system that meets all regulatory requirements for handling hydrogen, including parking the vehicle in enclosed spaces.
An integrated cooling system ensures consistently stable operating conditions even at very high ambient temperatures or demanding terrain.
Daimler has added a new sensor system, which responds to the highly unlikely event of hydrogen leakage, and which now allows overnight stays in the truck’s two standard beds fitted in the cab, increasing comfort and usability of the truck, especially for long-haul drivers on multi-day assignments.
It also features a newly designed side panel with integrated crash elements provides improved protection of the liquid hydrogen tanks in the event of an accident. The aerodynamically improved panel features practical tread plates, improving both safety and accessibility while reducing aerodynamic drag.
Daimler Truck says it tested prototypes of the Mercedes-Benz NextGenH2 last year under extreme conditions in the Swiss Alps, both during winter and summer trials, which it says ensures reliability under demanding operational scenarios. It says that insights gained from these tests are being incorporated directly into further development.
The company says that the development, production, and the practical deployment of the NextGenH2 has been scheduled from the end of this year and is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and the German states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg to the tune of €226 million, with the company says that series production of fuel cell trucks is now targeted for “the early 2030s”, about two year later than it had been originally scheduled for 2028..
