- Daimler Truck will start manufacturing the Mercedes-Benz NextGenH2 Truck this year.
- The semi truck is powered by a latest-generation hydrogen fuel cell that sends power to an LFP battery.
- The semi truck can cover over 600 miles with a full tank of hydrogen, and refueling takes as little as 10 minutes.
The hydrogen dream is not dead yet, and Daimler Truck is doing its part to keep it alive by putting a big hydrogen fuel cell truck into production this year.
This is the Mercedes-Benz NextGenH2 Truck, which will start reaching customers in Europe at the end of this year, as part of a limited-series production run of 100 units. That’s not exactly record-breaking, but the technology that’s packed under the truck’s skin is quite interesting.
Like all hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, this new truck has a battery that acts as a buffer between the energy source and the electric drive unit. Unlike similar builds, though, the NextGenH2 Truck has a massive 101-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack that takes energy from the two fuel cells at the front and sends it to a pair of electric motors at the rear.
The electric axle is lifted straight from the production eActros 600 all-electric truck and is capable of delivering up to 496 horsepower (370 kilowatts). The same drive unit can also send power back to the battery using regenerative braking, lowering the fuel consumption.
The two fuel cell units are fitted under the cab, where the combustion engine would normally sit. They act as a twin system with a total output of 300 kW, and they’re pretty frugal when it comes to sipping hydrogen. In early customer trials with the previous-generation GenH2 Truck, fuel consumption averaged between 5.6 kilograms/100 kilometers and 8 kg/100 km with gross combined vehicle weights ranging between 16 and 34 tonnes. That makes for a total driving range of over 620 miles (1,000 km).
In other words, this is almost like an extended-range EV with a hydrogen fuel cell generator instead of a gas or diesel engine. However, it does not have a charging port, so it relies completely on the fuel cells and two tanks that can store up to 85 kg of liquid hydrogen.
Another thing that sets Mercedes-Benz’s hydrogen truck apart from other fuel cell vehicles is the fact that it uses liquid hydrogen instead of compressed gaseous hydrogen, as the ill-fated Toyota Mirai does. At -253°C, liquid hydrogen has a significantly higher energy density than its gaseous counterpart, allowing more of it to be stored and enabling longer driving ranges that are comparable to conventional diesel trucks, according to Daimler Truck.
Gallery: Mercedes-Benz NextGenH2 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Truck
In the case of the NextGenH2, refueling can be done from both sides of the truck, as the two tanks are interconnected. The truck maker claims it takes between 10 and 15 minutes for a full refuel, thanks to the use of the sLH2 refueling standard developed in cooperation with Linde.
Because it’s based on the same architecture as the mass-produced Actros truck, the Mercedes-Benz NextGenH2 benefits from all of the features that have proven track record in the real world, including the latest infotainment system and safety assistance systems.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks said the first units with “near production-ready technology” will go into customers’ hands starting at the end of 2026, while full-scale production of fuel cell trucks is expected to start early next decade.
