Hydrogen and EVs could play a big role in trucking’s future

Last year, a truck undertook a series of journeys across the Brenner Pass, a high-altitude route linking Italy and Austria that plays an important role in the transportation of goods in Europe.

So far, so normal. This vehicle, however, was different: A hydrogen-powered prototype, it used fuel cells and, according to manufacturer Daimler Truck, emitted nothing but water vapor.

In a statement issued in November, the business said it was planning further tests of its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck in mountainous areas.

“The development goal is a range of 1,000 kilometers [a little over 621 miles] and more,” the firm said, adding that it was targeting series production in the second half of the 2020s.

Daimler Truck’s tests, which are ongoing, represent just one example of how companies involved in the freight sector are looking at hydrogen.

Others include Volvo Trucks. In Sept. 2022, it said it would begin testing fuel cell electric trucks in what it called “commercial traffic” from 2025.

“Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric trucks will be especially suitable for long distance and heavy, energy-demanding assignments,” the business, which is part of the larger Volvo Group, said.

“They could also be an option in countries where battery charging possibilities are limited,” it added.

In a sign of how collaboration could be key to the development of hydrogen powered mobility, Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group have also set up cellcentric, a joint venture focused on the manufacture of fuel cells.

The above moves come at a time when plans are being made to reduce overall transport-related emissions, including those from larger vehicles crucial to the freight industry.

The U.K., for example, has said it wants all new heavy goods vehicles there to be zero emission by 2040.

Over in the U.S., California is aiming for half of all heavy-duty truck sales in the state to be fully electric by 2035.

Elsewhere, the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, is looking to toughen up CO2 emissions standards for heavy duty vehicles like trucks.

It says this category of vehicle — which also includes long-distance and city buses — accounts for over 25% of greenhouse gas emissions from road transport within the bloc, and more than 6% of total GHG emissions there.

With major economies planning for a future centered around low and zero-emission technologies, efforts to decarbonize the freight sector will have to be ramped up.

It’s therefore no surprise that alongside hydrogen, battery electric vehicles are also being considered for trucking.

These include the Tesla Semi, Daimler Truck’s Mercedes-Benz eActros and the Volvo FH Electric. Other companies like Scania and DAF are also operating in the battery electric space.

A range of options

When it comes to the road based transportation of goods, the question of whether one technology will become dominant is an open one.  

Jonathan Walker is head of cities and infrastructure policy at trade body Logistics UK.

Citing the example of firms…