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By
Julie Campbell
October
5, 2023
Germany to decarbonize trucking with
hydrogen fuel
The country is looking to H2 as a substantial component
of its efforts to slash emissions from trucks.
As countries around the world
work on decarbonization strategies, hydrogen fuel has been taking an
important place in the spotlight for reducing emissions from the
trucking industry.
Several truck makers have been developing vehicles that
are powered by hydrogen fuel.
While Toyota has certainly become
the most outspoken automaker focusing on hydrogen fuel, particularly
with passenger cars in mind, it is far from the only vehicle maker
setting its sights on H2. When it comes to trucking, that number is
considerably higher.
Daimler Truck, for instance,
recently broke the record for the longest trip on a single tank, when
its vehicle traveled to Berlin across 1,047 kilometers without
refueling.
Still, even with all the focus on
this emission-free technology, it remains a relatively niche category.
However, Germany is hoping to change that trend by using hydrogen fuel
in a much more mainstream way to power trucks.
As a part of this movement, the Mercedes-Benz
GenH2 truck began its demonstration run in Woerth am Rhein at the
group’s factory. It started at that location near the French border
and made its way to Berlin the next day.
The prototype truck completed the trip on a single
fueling of liquid hydrogen fuel.
The outcome was a range comparable to what a truck powered by diesel
fuel would have been able to accomplish. That said, unlike diesel
fuel, the H2 did not emit any carbon or greenhouse gas.
“You’re showing that a heavy load
can be transported over a long distance in a sustainable manner,” said
the state secretary for economic affairs of the Rhineland-Palatinate
region of Germany, Petra Dick-Walther, when speaking at the departure
ceremony.
When Daimler Truck broke the
1,000-kilometer distance on a single tank of hydrogen fuel, the
Germany company, one of the largest truck makers in the world, called
it “another milestone” for H2-powered
transport.
Challenges ahead
Even with all the promising
advancements H2 technology has undergone in trucking, there remains a
considerable number of hurdles which must be overcome before Germany
will be able to take it mainstream.
First among them is in sourcing
adequate green hydrogen. This is in reference to H2 produced using
water electrolysis powered by renewable energy. While H2 is currently
relatively abundant, most of it is made using processes powered by
natural gas and coal, each of which result in greenhouse gas emissions
including carbon.
Other challenges to achieving
German’s goal include a lack of refueling infrastructure and costs
that remain higher than using conventional fuels or even H2 made with
methods that generate greenhouse gas emissions.
German giants are pushing forward to make hydrogen fuel a viable clean
option.
Companies from Germany such as
Bosch and Daimler Truck are continuing to push forward in the strong
belief that hydrogen fuel will play a substantial role in reducing
road transport emissions, just as battery electric vehicles are
making gains in passenger cars.
“To decarbonize transport, we
need both,” explained Daimler
Truck head of technology Andreas Gorbach who was behind the wheel
of the GenH2 when it crossed the finish line of its journey. He
explained that the “sweet spot” for using hydrogen fuel in trucks is
in long-distance hauling, which is particularly demanding. He added
that battery electric trucks will still work well for routes that can
easily be planned and that offer a number of recharging opportunities.
Daimler Truck’s goal is to begin
hydrogen fuel truck series production in “the second half of the
decade,” according to Gorbach. That said, he added that this will
depend on the rollout of a refueling station network and “the
availability of green energy at a competitive cost.”
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