Daimler Truck continues to rely on hydrogen and plans millions in investments

Image: Daimler Truck

Daimler Truck plans to invest a several hundred million euro amount in the development of hydrogen trucks by the end of the decade. Karin Rådström, head of the DAX-listed company based in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. “We have invested heavily in battery-electric vehicles, but now we are committing a large amount of money to help hydrogen succeed,” the manager was quoted as saying by Manager Magazin.

The manufacturer of trucks and buses pursues a dual strategy for decarbonizing transportation, focusing on both fully battery-electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. Many automakers have backed away from hydrogen, according to Rådström. Therefore, it is important for Daimler Truck to send the message that “we definitely consider hydrogen in trucking to be part of the solution for Europe’s decarbonization.”

For certain customers, hydrogen-powered trucks offer advantages in terms of range and payload, as well as faster refueling compared to battery charging. Additionally, there will be limits to the expansion of electricity infrastructure. “There are clear use cases where our customers truly need the payload and range,” said the Daimler Truck manager. However, this represents only a small percentage of cases.

According to Rådström, the decision between these technologies often depends on country-specific prices for hydrogen and electricity, as well as available infrastructure. “We don’t want to make the same mistake that was made in the field of electric mobility,” she emphasized. “That’s why we’re trying to establish partnerships at an early stage and ensure that the entire ecosystem develops.”

Recently, Daimler Truck announced it is working with companies from the transportation, energy, and industrial sectors to develop a hydrogen ecosystem. While purely battery-electric trucks are already available from the company but account for only a small portion of sales, Daimler Truck plans to deploy a small series of 100 hydrogen vehicles by the end of this year.

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Thomas Langenbucher is an expert in electromobility with professional experience in the automotive industry and finance sector. Since 2011, he has been covering electric vehicles, sustainable technologies, and mobility solutions for ecomento.de. Learn more.

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