Dailmer truck initiates customer trials with five Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks

Daimler Truck is working on its fuel cell trucks tested on test track and public roads. The Mercedes Benz GenH2 trucks are now in the next stage of development and will be deployed in the first customer fleets. The company aims to deliver CO2-neutral vehicles across its global core markets (EU30, USA, Japan) by 2039.

Daimler Truck celebrated the initial customer trials of five Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks at the Daimler Truck Test and Development Center in Woerth am Rhein. The occasion was attended by Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck along with Hildegard Müller, President of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), with Air Products, Amazon, Holcim, INEOS, and Wiedmann & Winz.

Mercedes Benz 5 GenH2 trucks

The five revolutionary trucks will be used in different long-haul applications during the trial period. Amazon will use the GenH2 truck for its logistics operations in Germany. Air Products will use the trucks for the transport of cylinder gases. Wiedmann & Winz will use the trucks for sea containers. Holcim will use the trucks for building materials logistics and Vervaeke will use the trucks for PVC and vinyl transportation.

 The trial period for the new fuel cell trucks will be around one year. During this time customers can learn more about the trucks by using them for long-distance transport. Dailmer trucks development team will analyze the customer experience with the fuel cell trucks and will use the valuable insights for future development.

Daimler Trucks will supervise the initial customer trials. During the trials the trucks will be refueled at designated liquid hydrogen filling stations in Woerth am Rhein and Duisburg area.

GenH2 truck vs conventional long haul trucks

GenH2 trucks are similar to Mercedes-Benz Actros long-haul truck in terms of payload, range, and performance. The fuel cell trucks in the trials will have a payload of 25 tons at a gross combination weight (GCW) of 40 tons. The high payload and long range of these trucks is due to two special liquid hydrogen tanks and a powerful fuel-cell system by Cellcentric which is a joint venture of Daimler Truck and Volvo Group.

The power delivered by GenH2 truck is 300 kilowatts with an additional 400 kW from the battery. The storage capacity of the battery is 70 kWh and provides additional support for the fuel cell during peak loads while accelerating or while driving uphill. A cooling and heating system for the fuel cell and battery helps maintain temperature to provide maximum durability. The torque delivered by GenH2 truck is 2×1577 Nm or 2×2071 Nm.

The two stainless-steel liquid-hydrogen tanks of the GenH2 trucks have a high storage capacity of 88 Kg which is suitable for covering long distances. The tank system consists of two tubes one within the other.

Liquid hydrogen as an alternate fuel

Daimler truck uses liquid hydrogen for its fuel trucks as the fuel increase the range and performance of the vehicle as compared to a diesel truck. Liquid hydrogen has many advantages as it is less costly and lighter in weight in comparison to gaseous hydrogen. In September 2023, a Daimler truck successfully conducted a trial of a public road-approved prototype of the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck completed the #HydrogenRecordRun, covering 1,047 km with one tank filling of liquid hydrogen on board.