(Stuttgart) – When developing hydrogen-based drives, Daimler Truck AG clearly prefers liquid hydrogen (LH2). In this aggregate state, the energy source has “a significantly higher energy density based on volume” compared to gaseous hydrogen, says the company. This means that more hydrogen can be transported, which increases the range. The performance of the vehicle is then comparable to a conventional diesel truck.
Further testing was carried out together with the French manufacturer of industrial gases Air Liquide SA 
A newly installed gas station in the development and testing center in Wörth was put into operation. During the refueling process, liquid hydrogen at a temperature of minus 253 degrees Celsius is filled into two 40 kilogram tanks each mounted on the side of the chassis. “Thanks to the particularly good insulation of the vehicle tanks, the hydrogen can be kept at the same temperature for a sufficiently long time without active cooling,” it says in a statement. There is no information about the origin of the hydrogen.
Fuel cell prototype is already on the roads
A prototype of the hydrogen-based fuel cell truck “Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck” already had it last year street legal received and has since been tested on the B462 near Rastatt. The vehicle previously drove on closed Daimler test tracks.
In the series version, Daimler Truck designed the truck to have a range of more than 1.000 kilometers without stopping to refuel. The “customer testing” is announced for 2023. The group wants to deliver the first fuel cell series vehicles in the second half of the decade.
New refueling procedure planned
At the same time, Daimler Truck is working with Linde plc to develop a new refueling process for liquid hydrogen (subcooled liquid hydrogen, SLH2). 
Compared to LH2, the approach enables, among other things, even higher storage density and easier refueling. The companies are planning the first refueling of a prototype truck at a pilot station in Germany in 2023. The Collaboration was already announced at the end of 2020.
When developing SLH2, Daimler Truck says it relies on “a high degree of transparency and openness” around the relevant interfaces. “By as many more companies and associations as possible taking part in the development of the new liquid hydrogen standards, a global mass market for the new process should be established,” says the company.
In the area of infrastructure for hydrogen filling stations along important transport axes in Europe, Daimler Truck plans to work with the companies Shell, BP and Total Energies. Daimler is also a shareholder in the hydrogen filling station operator H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH & Co.KG. The company only had one in April financing round fresh capital of 110 million euros was raised.
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Prototype of the “Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck”. © Daimler Truck AG
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The new filling station enables test trucks to be refueled with cryogenic liquid hydrogen. © Daimler Truck AG
