Hydrogen is still set for a key role in decarbonising heavy transport as electrification presents challenges for trucks, according to German vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck.
Battery-electric vehicles are widely considered the way forward for decarbonising the mobility sector, but hydrogen-powered trucks could represent a "significant proportion" of heavy-duty transport by 2030, Daimler Truck's chief executive Karin Radstrom said at the European Hydrogen Week in Brussels.
"If we are serious about decarbonising transport" hydrogen will have to play a role because "it is going to be very difficult with battery electric [vehicles] only".
Europe has a fleet of 6mn diesel trucks, of which around 30,000 are electric, Radstrom said. Some customers "can run [electric trucks] on cost parity with diesel trucks" but many are concerned about the lack of high-speed charging infrastructure, said Radstrom. Limits to the electricity grid make "rapid large-scale expansion [of electric truck fleets] unfeasible" in Europe.
Setting up a network of hydrogen refuelling stations is easier and less costly than scaling up the network of recharging points, Radstrom said.
Hydrogen fuel cell trucks can be better positioned for fleet operators that need to transport higher payloads and run longer distances. But hydrogen adoption "will depend on the price at the pump", which should be brought down to around €4-5/kg ($3.5-4.4/kg), according to Radstrom. This would represent a sharp decrease from existing prices above €11/kg in Germany, the EU country with the largest number of refuelling stations.
Radstrom also sees supply chain advantages for hydrogen-powered trucks. Fuel cells do not use any "critical components from Asia" unlike electric trucks that use lithium-ion batteries and rare earth-containing electric motors, components were Chinese companies in particular dominate the supply chains, Radstrom said.
The Global Hydrogen Mobility Alliance, a group bringing together hydrogen infrastructure developers and mobility companies, this week called for measures to accelerate adoption of hydrogen in heavy mobility and expansion of refuelling stations network. Scaling up hydrogen in mobility requires a flexible approach to hydrogen sourcing, including adoption of supply with unabated emissions in a transition period, ahead of a wider switch to lower-carbon and renewable supply when costs have come down, the group said.
