Volvo and Daimler have been betting on the rise of hydrogen trucks this decade

According to the heads of the world’s two largest truck manufacturers, heavy trucks with hydrogen, capable of driving long distances, are likely to reach a turning point by the end of the decade.

Martin Daum, president of industry leader Daimler Truck, told the Financial Times that while diesel trucks would dominate sales over the next three to four years, hydrogen would take off as fuel between 2027 and 2030 before going up “strong”.

Martin Lundstedt, CEO of the Volvo Group, which has just bought a hydrogen joint venture with Daimler, said that after production of fuel cells began in 2025, there would be a “much stronger rise” towards the end of the year. decade.

The Swedish truck manufacturer intends half of its European sales in 2030 to be trucks powered by hydrogen fuel cells or batteries, while both groups want to have completely zero emissions in 2040.

The joint venture of the German and Swedish groups, Cellcentric, will begin production of fuel cells in 2025. Both truck manufacturers will mainly use electric batteries for smaller trucks, as well as heavier vehicles located in one place and that they can be recharged overnight.

But hydrogen is considered essential for long-haul heavy trucks crossing Europe, the United States and other parts of the world that supply goods to multiple destinations and where fuel supply stops should be as short as possible.

Daum, who predicted that the divide between hydrogen and battery sales would end up being between 50 and 50, said that moving “40 tons down a hill takes a huge amount of energy” and that then of diesel, the most efficient fuel for these tasks, hydrogen was the best choice.

“Fuel cells and hydrogen will play a very important role,” Lundstedt added.

Both men urged governments not only to ensure the necessary fuel infrastructure for hydrogen, but also to provide sufficient incentives for transport companies to switch to greener trucks.

About 300 high-performance hydrogen supply points in Europe would be required by 2025 and 1,000 by 2030, the companies said.

Of the need to build the infrastructure at the same time as the trucks, Lundstedt said: “It can be seen as a chicken and an egg. But we said we would go for it. We will take the chicken. Someone else can deliver the egg.

Admitting that trucks with hydrogen and batteries would still be more expensive than those running on diesel “at least for the next 15 years,” Daum noted that customers typically spend three to four times more on fuel over the life of a truck. than in the vehicle itself.

He added that early adopters, who would otherwise have to “pay a fine” at high prices, could be helped by government support through the EU Green Deal or other incentives. But he said that by the turning point of 2027, a suitable price for CO2 would be better, as there would be too many trucks to get subsidies.

Lundstedt stressed that the commitment of truck manufacturers was also important in helping to develop green hydrogen, which is done with renewable energy instead of natural gas, as is usual now, as other heavy industries such as shipping and steel is considered the fuel. “This joint venture is a clear stick on the ground” of truck manufacturers, he said.