Daimler Truck has indicated that it prefers liquid hydrogen. (daimler truck)
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To test the use of liquid hydrogen in a commercial vehicle fuel cell, Daimler Truck announced it will commission a heavy-duty truck prototype and filling station in Germany.
A series of hydrogen-based trucks suitable for long-haul applications are scheduled for production in the second half of the decade, according to Daimler. Its range is supposed to reach 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).
“We have signed agreements with energy groups BP, Shell and TotalEnergies to build hydrogen filling stations,” Daimler Chairman Martin Daum said recently during the company’s first annual general meeting. “In total, more than 300 filling stations are scheduled to be built in Europe by 2030. We have also acquired a stake in H2 Mobility Germany, an operator of hydrogen filling stations.”
Next milestone with hydrogen-based engines: We’re running another @MercedesBenz GenH2 truck prototype to test the use of liquid hydrogen. The aim is to increase range and enable performance similar to conventional diesel trucks.
https://t.co/7SQQ4D8VvO pic.twitter.com/0nfdlyCsDj — Daimler Truck AG (@DaimlerTruck) June 27, 2022
The Stuttgart, Germany-based truck manufacturer has indicated that it prefers liquid hydrogen in the development of hydrogen-based engines due to its much higher energy density, by volume, compared to gaseous hydrogen – and as a result, more hydrogen can be carried, significantly increasing range. It provides vehicle performance similar to that of a conventional diesel truck.
Recently, the truck manufacturer achieved the first successful liquid hydrogen refueling of a concept truck using Air Liquide. During this process, liquid hydrogen cooled to minus 253 degrees Celsius filled two 40-kilogram tanks mounted on either side of the hull, where the hydrogen can be kept at the temperature for a sufficiently long time without active cooling, Daimler said.
Daimler, Iveco, Linde, OMV, Shell, TotalEnergies and the Volvo Group have committed to working together to help create the conditions for the large-scale market introduction of hydrogen trucks in Europe as part of the H2Accelerate interest group.
Meanwhile, Daimler Truck said it is working with Linde to develop a new process for handling liquid hydrogen through its partially cooled liquid hydrogen technology, sLH2. Among other things, this approach allows higher storage density and easier refueling compared to LH2. The companies plan to refuel for the first time a prototype vehicle at a pilot station in Germany in 2023.
At the same time, Daimler and its partners intend to achieve a high level of transparency and openness around the relevant interfaces of the jointly developed sLH2 technology. Daimler indicated that the goal is to cooperate with other companies and associations to develop their own refueling and vehicle technologies that apply the new liquid hydrogen standard and thus create a large global market for the new process.
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