Daimler Truck tests fuel-cell truck with liquid hydrogen

Daimler Truck (ETR:DTG) has put a fuel-cell prototype truck into operation to test the use of liquid hydrogen which is expected to significantly raise the range of the vehicle and enable performance comparable with that of a conventional diesel truck.

The truck is equipped with two 40-kg tanks that are filled with cryogenic liquid hydrogen at minus 253 degrees Celsius. Liquid hydrogen has a higher energy density compared to gaseous hydrogen which improves the performance of the vehicle, Daimler Truck said on Monday.

The vehicle will be refuelled with liquid hydrogen at a newly installed prototype filling station at the development and testing centre in Woerth am Rhein, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

The German manufacturer aims to develop a fuel cell truck with a range of up to 1,000 kilometres (621.4 miles) and more that will be suitable for heavy-duty long-haul transport. Series production of hydrogen-based trucks should begin in the second half of the decade.

In addition, Daimler Truck and industrial gases producer Linde Plc (NYSE:LIN) are working on a new process for handling liquid hydrogen that should enable higher storage density and easier refuelling. The first refuelling of a prototype truck is planned to take place in 2023.

The German truck maker aims to offer only new vehicles that are carbon-neutral in driving operation in its global core markets by 2039.

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