This demo is an integral part of the GenH2 series production planned for 2027.
In late April, the German company began rigorous testing with the first advanced prototype of its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 truck, which was based on its performance in hydrogen fuel cells, an alternative to improving the electrification of its long-distance vehicles.
The launch of this pilot marks a milestone on the road to the serial production of electrified units. Daimler Trucks developers focus on the vehicle and its components through constant demands, continuous operation, different weather, different types of road and different types of drivers.
According to the Daimler Trucks development plan, the vehicle will be tested on public roads by the end of 2021. Meanwhile, customer demos are scheduled to launch in 2023, and the first series of manufactured GenH2 trucks are scheduled to launch. 2027.
“We continue to pursue our technology strategy for the electrification of our trucks. We want to provide our customers with the best local CO2-neutral vehicles that can run on batteries or hydrogen-based fuel cells, depending on the application,” said Martin Tom, Chairman and Member of the Board of Directors of Daimler Truck AG. Ji’s Executive Office.
The manager said hydrogen fuel cells will be essential for long-distance transport without CO2, which is a feature confirmed by the brand’s partners, with whom he works to put this technology on the road in series-production vehicles.
“Political support plays a key role in building the infrastructure for green hydrogen and economically using fuel cell trucks for our customers,” Tom stressed.
Daimler Trucks Development Engineers have a goal for the GenH2 truck to meet the same lifespan requirements of the regular Mercedes Benz Octros; This means 1.2 million kilometers of road and a total of 25,000 hours of operation over a ten-year period.
Having developed that idea, the GenH2 truck, like other new generation octros, needs to be subjected to more demanding tests. During the first weeks of the test, the vehicle had already traveled hundreds of kilometers under continuous loads on a road-to-platform dynamo and was in several extreme conditions based on real life operating conditions.
GenH2 has been redesigned from the ground up. It has completely new components that developers will focus on testing, including all related systems such as the fuel cell system, all electric power train and special cooling unit.
In addition, the specific weight and condition of the new components of the vehicle affect the handling characteristics of the truck. As a result, vibrations caused by its operation on highways and in extreme conditions cause the fuel cell truck to be subjected to different forces than that of conventional vehicles.
During the current prototype tests approximately 40 tons pays up to 25 tons for a total vehicle weight, which is similar to the specifications planned for serial production.
Daimler trucks prefer to use liquid hydrogen because in this case it has a higher energy density than hydrogen gas. As a result, the tanks of the fuel cell truck that use liquid hydrogen are much smaller and they are considerably lighter due to the lower pressure.
This level gives trucks more cargo space and more load capacity; In addition, it offers the opportunity to carry more hydrogen, which significantly increases the autonomy of the trucks.
So just like conventional diesel trucks, the GenH2 truck is suitable for long-distance transport for many days, where it is difficult to plan and where daily energy efficiency is high.
