Daimler Trucks starts intensive tests of its fuel cell truck

Daimler Trucks relies on hydrogen-based fuel cells to electrify its trucks for flexible and demanding long-haul transport. The goal is ranges of up to 1,000 kilometers and more without a refueling stop. The truck manufacturer began intensive tests of the first new, further developed prototype of its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 truck, which was presented in 2020, at the end of April - and thus reached an important milestone on the way to series production. The developers at Daimler Trucks put the fuel cell truck through its paces. The broad test series, which are extremely demanding for the vehicle and its components, focus on continuous use, different weather and road conditions and various driving maneuvers, among other things. Daimler Trucks' development plan provides for tests on public roads before the end of this year. The start of customer tests is planned for 2023 and the first series vehicles of the GenH2 Truck are to be handed over to customers from 2027. The GenH2 Truck is a completely redesigned vehicle with completely new components, to which the developers pay special attention during the tests. These include the fuel cell system, the fully electric drive train and all associated systems such as the special cooling. The individual weight of the new components and their respective position in the vehicle also have an impact on the driving characteristics of the truck. This means that different forces act on the truck than with conventional vehicles in the event of vibrations caused by uneven road surfaces and especially in extreme situations. In order to gain comprehensive knowledge at an early stage, the current prototype - as is also planned for the series version of the GenH2 Truck - is loaded with up to 25 tons of payload for a total weight of around 40 tons as part of the tests