The new Mercedes-Benz GenH2 half-fuel cell prototype will soon appear

The world depends on two halves to move goods around the world, but they are responsible for a lot of pollution.

Daimler wants to fix this so they’ve hosted an event to reveal their electricity strategy for the trucking sector. The big news was the debut of the Mercedes GenH2 concept, a heavy-duty fuel cell truck built for long-distance transportation.

The GenH2 Test Vehicle is designed to be of similar capabilities to the long-range Actros, with a total weight of 40 tons and a payload capacity of 25 tons. Most importantly, it contains two liquid hydrogen tanks each with a capacity of 88 pounds (40 kg).

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The concept is also equipped with a 300 kW fuel cell system and a battery that can temporarily provide an additional 400 kW of power. The battery has a capacity of 70 kWh and is designed “to provide an situational power support to a fuel cell, for example during peak loads during acceleration or while driving uphill fully loaded.”

In a pre-production truck, there will be two electric motors each producing 443 hp (330 kW / 449 hp) and a torque of 1,527 lb-ft (2,071 Nm). However, they have a continuous rating of less than 308 hp (230 kW / 312 hp) and 1163 lb-ft (1577 Nm).

While semis isn’t quite idiosyncratic, the main idea is that GenH2 will be environmentally friendly and have a range of about 621 miles (1,000 km) on a single tank of hydrogen. This makes it ideal for long haul operations.

While the GenH2 is technically a concept, Mercedes has confirmed that it is previewing the production model. Customer tracks are slated to begin in 2023, ahead of serial production scheduled for the second half of this decade.

The GenH2 might have been the flagship model, but this wasn’t the only truck released today. Daimler also showcased the Mercedes eActros LongHaul, a long-haul, battery-powered truck “designed to cover regular trips on planned roads in an energy-efficient manner”.

The eActros LongHaul will have a range of approximately 311 miles (500 km) and is scheduled to be ready for production in 2024. Mercedes hasn’t released many details, but it has been noted that European Union regulations require truck drivers to take a break of at least 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving. . Recharging during this time will provide “a significant proportion of the energy needed for continuous flight.”

While 2024 is still a long way off, the company said eActros to move distribution – which was originally introduced in 2018 – will start production next year. Daimler added that the model would be able to “significantly exceed” the prototype’s range of about 124 miles (200 km).

According to Martin Daum of Daimler, “We are constantly pursuing our vision for CO2 neutral transport with a focus on battery power for domestic CO neutral technologies and hydrogen based fuel cells, which have the potential to succeed in the market in the long term. To offer our customers the best vehicle options, depending on the application. ”He went on to say that battery-powered trucks would be better for lower cargo weights and shorter distances, while fuel cell models would be the“ preferred choice for heavy loads and longer distances ”.