Daimler Truck is investing three-digit millions in hydrogen trucks

The commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck wants to invest a mid-three-digit million amount, i.e. several hundred million euros, in hydrogen trucks by the end of the decade. Karin Rådström, head of the DAX group from Leinfelden-Echterdingen near Stuttgart, told the dpa news agency.

“We have invested a lot in battery-electric vehicles, but now the next step is to invest a lot of money in making hydrogen a success,” said Rådström.

Rådström wants to play a part in the fight against climate change. "When you see that many car manufacturers are backing down on hydrogen, it is important for us to send the message that we definitely see hydrogen in trucking as part of the solution to decarbonizing Europe," she said.

Rådström emphasizes that the group continues to pursue a two-pronged approach to new drive technologies - depending on the needs of customers.

In many cases, both technologies could make sense, but it depends on the prices for hydrogen and electricity, which often differ depending on the country, as well as the availability of the appropriate infrastructure, Rådström continued.

But who could benefit from the expansion of hydrogen technology? In particular, freight forwarders that need longer ranges and want to transport higher payloads are seen as profiting. Trucks travel up to 800 kilometers a day and transport much heavier loads. Freight forwarders therefore weigh the options carefully.

Hydrogen is lighter and therefore reduces the overall weight. Filling up with hydrogen is also faster than charging a battery.

The steel and chemical industries should also benefit from hydrogen in order to improve their carbon footprint. Because hydrogen technology uses hydrogen as a clean energy source and storage for the energy transition.

One catch with hydrogen refueling is that, in contrast to electric technology, there are hardly any filling stations yet. In addition, hydrogen is still very expensive.

The positive climate balance also depends largely on how the hydrogen is produced. “Green hydrogen” is produced through the electrolysis of water, which requires electricity. If the electricity comes from wind or solar power, almost no CO2 is produced - however, if natural gas is used, C02 is produced, which then enters the atmosphere.

Batteries are also considered more efficient - which suggests that electric vehicles have advantages in regional transport and long-distance transport on manageable routes.

Last week, Daimler Truck announced that it would be working on an ecosystem for hydrogen together with companies from the transport, energy and industrial sectors. Details will be announced at a trade fair in Hanover next week.

"We don't want to make the same mistake that was made in the area of ​​electromobility. That's why we try to build partnerships very early on and ensure that the entire ecosystem develops," said Rådström wieter.

The online mail order company Amazon wants to make its transport network more sustainable with battery-electric trucks from Daimler Truck. As both companies announced, more than 50 of these electric trucks will be on the road for Amazon in Germany by the end of the year.

The first 27 Mercedes-Benz eActros 600s were officially handed over to Amazon on Wednesday. At the beginning of 2025, Amazon signed a contract with the Daimler truck brand Mercedes-Benz Trucks for more than 200 vehicles of the eActros 600 model.