Next generation fuel cell truck: Daimler Truck tests first prototypes in the Swiss Alps

Daimler Truck’s development team has built up first prototypes of Mercedes-Benz’ next generation fuel cell trucks and has recently put them through their paces in a first series of demanding tests. Two vehicles of the next development stage of the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck underwent intensive winter testing at the Simplon Pass in the Swiss Canton of Valais. The tough conditions in the cold and snow, as well as challenging gradient profiles in the region provided excellent conditions for testing the innovative technology under the hood of the liquid hydrogen-powered vehicles and allowed the team to gain valuable insights under realistic extreme conditions.

During testing, the interaction of all essential components was tested intensively, including the fuel cell, the high-voltage battery, the e-axle, the tank system, and thermal management. A particular focus was on the use of the Predictive Powertrain Controls system, the topography-dependent cruise control. The objective was to use the battery in combination with the fuel cell efficiently, both with regard to propulsion as well as for recuperation when driving downhill.

Two hydrogen trucks that are CO2e-free in driving operation were deployed and underwent an extensive and demanding test program with a gross vehicle weight of up to 40 tons during a period of 14 days. They covered a total of 6,500 kilometers and crossed mountain roads with an accumulated climb of 83,000 meters. Particularly challenging were the approx. 20-km-long up- and downhill stretches with gradients of 10 to 12 percent, with a total distance covering 1,600 kilometers. The fuel cell trucks were refueled via a mobile hydrogen refueling station from Air Products, which was set up at the test base in Valais.

Last autumn, the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport (BMDV) and the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate approved funding totaling € 226 million for Daimler Truck. The funding is intended for the development, small-scale production and customer deployment (operation and maintenance) of 100 fuel cell trucks.

The funding project, created within the framework of the European Union’s IPCEI (Important Project of Common European Interest) Hydrogen program, covers both vehicle and production-related activities. In addition to the development and build-up of the vehicles, the funding will also be used for feasibility studies with regard to the hydrogen value chain as well as investments in required production facilities and processes in preparation for planned series production. Final assembly of the next generation fuel cell trucks is set to take place at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Wörth and the trucks are expected to go into operation at various customers from the end of 2026 onwards.