Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2024 - 11

TECHNICAL INNOVATIONS
Refueling at the sLH2 station reportedly takes
ten to fifteen minutes.
-253°C (-423°F) and transforms it into a
liquid (sLH2).
According to Daimler, the process
reduces energy losses and increases
refueling capacity. The refueling station
has a capacity of 400 kg (882 lbs.) of
liquid hydrogen per hour. The station's
storage tank has a capacity of 4 tons,
sufficient for approximately 10 hours of
non-stop refueling.
Daimler states that thanks to the lower
pressure required for liquid hydrogen,
the truck storage tanks are significantly
lighter. This enables greater payload
capacity as well as increased storage
and range. An additional benefit of
this process, according to Daimler, is
that it mitigates boil-off effects and
" return gas " (gas from the vehicle's
tank returning to the filling station). The
payoff is that only one nozzle is needed
to fill the tanks.
Trucking along
Daimler first introduced a prototype of
the GenH2 Truck in 2021 that underwent
tests in various environments.
Starting in mid-2024, the company will
release a total of five GenH2 trucks for
customer trials. Amazon, Air Products,
INEOS, Holcim and Wiedmann & Winz
are the firms taking part in the initial
trials. The five trucks will be deployed
with their respective companies in
Germany and will be under the direct
supervision of Mercedes-Benz Trucks.
The GenH2 trucks offer a payload of
approximately 25 tons and a GCW of
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
The first public sLH2 fuel station in Wörth am Rhein, Germany, will be utilized for customer trials
using Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks.
Daimler Truck claims that the lower pressure required for liquid hydrogen enables the truck's
storage tanks to be significantly lighter.
40 tons. The powertrain of the GenH2
truck is rated at 300 kW and the battery
provides an additional 400 kW of
temporary energy. A 70-kWh battery
also is onboard for situational power
support for the fuel cell during peak
loads while accelerating or while driving
uphill fully loaded.
A core element of the fuel-cell and
battery system is a thermal-management
layout that keeps all components
at a suitable operating temperature to
ensure maximum durability. In a preseries
version, the two electric motors
are designed for a total of 2 x 230 kW
continuous power and 2 x 330 kW maximum
power.
The truck's fuel system consists of
two liquid hydrogen tanks and a cellcentric
fuel-cell system. The stainlesssteel
liquid-hydrogen tanks have a storage
capacity of 44 kg (97 lbs.) each.
The tank system consists of two tubes,
one within the other, that are connected
and vacuum insulated.
In September 2023, Daimler demonstrated
the capabilities of its truck with
a public road-approved prototype that
completed a 1,047-km (650-mile) route
without refueling. The company aims to
introduce the series version of the
Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck in the second
half of the decade.
Matt Wolfe
April 2024 11
ALL IMAGES: DAIMLER TRUCK
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - April 2024

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