Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany – Europe faces the challenge of achieving its climate goals while remaining competitive. According to Daimler Truck, hydrogen plays a key role in solving this conundrum. The molecule enables the storage and transport of renewable energy on a large scale and is crucial for emission-free road freight transport.

On the occasion of the German “Hydrogen Week”, Daimler Truck publishes an opinion piece by its Head of Truck Technology, Andreas Gorbach. In it, he argues why hydrogen is indispensable for the decarbonization of road freight transport.

Dr. Andreas Gorbach, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG and Head of Truck Technology: “Those who want to lead the transport of the future do not rely on either-or, but on batteries AND hydrogen. By combining both technologies and thus developing charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure in parallel, the decarbonization of transport can be achieved more quickly and at lower cost. Europe still has the historic opportunity to remain a technology leader in hydrogen and fuel cells and thus massively strengthen the competitiveness of the region. Whether this happens is also a question of the political will to act.”

In his article, Andreas Gorbach addresses the complementary nature of the two technologies, infrastructure, energy supply, as well as the fact that it is not just about technical efficiency, but also about the overall impact for trucks and buses, Germany and Europe. Accordingly, the development of hydrogen infrastructure is necessary and, in combination with the electrical charging infrastructure, even more cost-efficient than the massive expansion of a single infrastructure.

Daimler Truck is investing heavily in the electrification of its vehicle portfolio and sees hydrogen as an important complement to battery-electric solutions. The company already has 11 battery-electric vehicles in series production in its global product portfolio. Trucks powered by hydrogen are expected to follow shortly.

Currently, five transport companies are already each testing a prototype of the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck as part of initial customer trials. Furthermore, the next generation of fuel cell trucks is already in development, and by the end of 2026, 100 vehicles are expected to go into further customer trials.

These vehicles are powered by fuel cells from cellcentric, a joint venture between Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group. Additionally, cellcentric plans to build and commission one of the largest fuel cell production facilities in Europe in Weilheim an der Teck, South Germany, in the coming years.