The German government recently supplied Daimler Truck with 226m euros, in order to aid the company in their effort for the development, small-series production and finally, customer deployment of one-hundred hydrogen fuel cell trucks.

It is anticipated that these trucks will enter customer operation by the end of 2026 and it has been arranged that the final assembly will be held in Wörth at the Mercedes-Benz plant. After this, the fuel cells will be delivered from cellcentric’s pilot production facility, which is based in Esslingen.

The funding for this project was awarded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV), plus the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. Moreover, this project will become part of the EU’s Important Project of Common Europe Interest (IPCEI) programme.

So far, it has been proven that the liquid hydrogen-powered trucks will be capable of providing a 1,000km range and it will also provide a higher energy density, along with weight advantages when it is compared to gaseous applications.

Currently the truck manufacturer is creating and building prototypes and five customers have already started to deploy these trucks on initial trials. These trials are planned to commence up until next summer.

State Secretary at the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Sector, Dr. Andre Baumann, said, “I am pleased that this extensive IPCEI project has materialised and will drive forward the ramp-up of hydrogen also in the important sector of heavy-duty transportation. The federal state of Baden-Württemberg is pleased to participate in the funding of this innovative project with up to €50m ($52m).”

Daimler Truck’s CEO, Karin Rådström, mentioned, “The approval of funding for the development and small series production of 100 fuel cell trucks is an important boost for the use of hydrogen in road freight transportation. This funding is therefore a strong signal not only for Daimler Truck but for the entire commercial vehicle industry.”

Daimler Truck also said that, “for the transformation towards sustainable transportation to succeed, it will be necessary in the coming years to ensure the build-up of international refuelling infrastructure and a sufficient supply of cost-competitive green liquid hydrogen.”