Following the completion of initial customer trials of its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Trucks, Daimler Truck is now starting the planned second phase with five additional partner companies, in order to prepare its fuel-cell trucks for series production based on real-world customer requirements.
Hornbach, Reber Logistik, Teva Germany (with its brand ratiopharm), Rhenus, and DHL Supply Chain will each successively deploy a Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck on their regular logistics routes within Germany. The goal is not only to test use cases across various industries and capture additional operating scenarios, but also to ensure that all findings feed directly into further vehicle development as well as preparations for sales and service processes.
All five fuel-cell trucks will be deployed by the partners over a period of 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.
As a fuel-cell truck with a gross vehicle weight of around 40 tons and a payload of approximately 25 tons, 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 to provide situational power support during peak loads and to recover energy during braking.
The truck uses liquid hydrogen as the energy source, which offers significant advantages over gaseous hydrogen: higher energy density enables greater range per tank fill and reduced transport requirements – both enhancing economic efficiency and sustainability of operations. Refueling takes place at dedicated liquid hydrogen (sLH2) stations in Woerth am Rhein and the Duisburg area.
In the initial trial phase, the five fuel-cell trucks covered more than 225,000 kilometers in total, with average hydrogen consumption ranging between 5.6 and 8.0 kilograms per 100 kilometers, depending on use case, and an average combined vehicle weight between 16 and 34 tons.
In parallel, Daimler Truck has already started developing the next generation of its fuel-cell trucks. As part of a small-series production, a total of 100 tractor units are to be built at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Woerth and put into customer operations starting at the end of 2026.
When it comes to decarbonizing transport, Daimler Truck is pursuing a dual-track strategy with battery- and hydrogen-powered vehicles. However, the expansion of hydrogen refueling 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. Consequently, large-scale industrialization of fuel cells and the planned series production of hydrogen-powered trucks with a focus on Europe is targeted for the early 2030s.
