Following the initial customer trials of its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Trucks, Daimler Truck is now preparing its fuel-cell trucks for series production based on real-world customer requirements.

This project will see five companies, Hornbach, Reber Logistik, Teva Germany, Rhenus and DHL Supply Chain, each deploy a Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck on their regular logistics routes within Germany.

The five fuel-cell trucks will be used over one year on different routes under real operating conditions in various logistics applications, from temperature-controlled pharmaceutical transport to general cargo transport in international long-distance transport.

The goal is to test use-cases across various industries in an attempt to capture additional operating scenarios, and to ensure that all findings feed directly into further vehicle development, as well as any future sales and service processes.

“We develop the best trucks for our customers by conducting trials with our partners early on,” says Mercedes-Benz Trucks product engineering head Michael Scheib.

“That's why the next five companies are now testing our hydrogen-powered Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck in daily operation.

“This is another important step on the road to series production – and to carbon neutral transport [using] batteries and hydrogen.”

As a fuel-cell truck with a gross vehicle weight of around 40 t and a payload of around 25 t, Daimler Truck believes the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck offers technical specifications on par with modern diesel long-haul trucks.

Its fuel-cell system delivers a continuous output of up to 300 kW, supported by a small buffer battery that provides situational power support during peak loads, while it also recovers energy during braking.

The truck uses liquid hydrogen as the energy source, which the German truck maker believes offers various advantages over gaseous hydrogen, as its higher energy density enables greater range per tank-fill, as well as reduced transport requirements, with both of these factors enhancing economic efficiency and operational sustainability.

Refueling takes place at dedicated liquid hydrogen stations.

Roll-Out Delays
Daimler Truck has already started developing the next generation of its fuel-cell trucks.

As part of small-series production, 100 tractor units are to be built at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Würth, and put into customer operations starting at the end of 2026.

When it comes to decarbonising transport, Daimler Truck is pursuing a dual-track strategy, utilising both battery- and hydrogen-powered vehicles.

However, the expansion of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure is progressing significantly slower than expected.

As a result, customers will not be able to deploy hydrogen trucks in large numbers in the next few years, believes the truck maker. This also means that the large-scale industrialisation of fuel cells and the planned series production of hydrogen-powered trucks with a focus on Europe is targeted only for the early 2030s.