The Mercedes-Benz GenH2 truck going through testing during the winter in Switzerland. (Daimler Truck)
Daimler Truck’s heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell electric truck ambitions took another step forward in recent weeks, as testing of the prototype Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck ramped up.
Two GenH2 trucks carried out testing on the Simplon Pass in the Swiss Alps, advancing research and development of the vehicle’s performance in wintry conditions, on steep inclines and declines and at altitude, the world’s largest heavy-duty truck maker said March 24.
The trucks covered a total of 1,600 kilometers during a 14-day period, crossing 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) of mountain roads with an accumulated climb of 51.6 miles (83,000 meters), including 12.4 mile-(20 km)-long uphill and downhill stretches with gradients of 10% to 12%.
“With a maximum elevation of more than 2,000 meters [1.2 miles] above sea level and a climb from 600 meters [1,970 feet], the route over the Simplon Pass provided good conditions for testing the interplay of the fuel cell system with other enhanced components,” said Rainer Müller-Finkeldei, head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks product engineering.
Müller-Finkeldei
“The successful tests have underlined the potential and reliability of the GenH2 trucks, even under demanding conditions,” he said.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks sought to assess its Predictive Powertrain Controls system, a topography-dependent cruise control, in particular.
Small-scale production of the GenH2, which is based on a conventional Mercedes-Benz Actros cabover longhaul truck, is scheduled to start toward the end of 2026.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks will produce 100 trucks during the initial small-scale production run. Those trucks will undergo testing before serial production of the model begins toward the end of the decade, a Daimler Truck spokesman confirmed March 24.
Two GenH2 trucks carried out testing on the Simplon Pass in the Swiss Alps, advancing research and development of the vehicle’s performance in wintry conditions, on steep inclines and declines and at altitude. (Daimler Truck)
Fuel cell systems for the GenH2 trucks are provided by Cellcentric, Daimler Truck’s joint venture with Volvo Group.
The Actros also is the base model for Mercedes-Benz Truck’s eActros 600 heavy-duty battery-electric truck, which was unveiled in October 2023.
Small-scale production of the GenH2 will be funded by a grant of about $244 million from the German Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport, and the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate approved funding.
The GenH2 trucks are powered by liquid hydrogen rather than gaseous hydrogen — the choice of technology for rival fuel cell truck developers such as South Korean automaker Hyundai or bankrupt Phoenix-based startup Nikola — as Daimler Truck seeks to establish a common refueling standard for hydrogen-powered trucks.
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The first refueling station for Daimler Truck and joint venture partner Linde Engineering’s sLH2 subcooled liquid hydrogen opened in February 2024 near the truck maker’s long-standing Wörth am Rhein manufacturing plant.
Daimler Truck — parent company of U.S. Class 8 truck brands Freightliner and Western Star — and Linde argue that liquid hydrogen offers a higher storage density, greater range and faster refueling.
Initial testing of sLH2 and the GenH2 began in 2024. Among the fleet owners carrying out the testing are Amazon, Air Products, Ineos, Holcim and Wiedmann & Winz.
E-commerce giant Amazon.com ranks No. 1 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America and No. 1 on the TT Top 50 Global Freight Carriers list. It also ranks No. 9 on the TT Top 100 list of the largest private carriers.
