Shell and Daimler Truck AG will deploy heavy-duty hydrogen refueling stations and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles concurrently in order to speed Europe’s road freight decarbonisation.
Daimler Truck AG and Shell New Energies NL B.V. (“Shell”) have entered into a joint venture to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen-fueled fuel cell trucks in Europe. The companies intend to contribute to the decarbonisation of road freight by expanding hydrogen refueling infrastructure and providing clients with fuel-cell trucks.
Shell aims to begin by establishing a hydrogen refueling network connecting three green hydrogen production hubs in the Netherlands, Cologne, and Hamburg, Germany. Shell is to establish heavy-duty refueling stations between the three locations beginning in 2024, while Daimler Truck intends to deliver the first heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles to clients in 2025. The plan calls for continued expansion of the hydrogen-powered freight corridor, which will total 1200 kilometers by 2025, with the goal of delivering 150 hydrogen refueling stations and around 5,000 Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty fuel cell vehicles by 2030.
Shell and Daimler Truck strive to provide the best possible hydrogen infrastructure network by structuring it around customer needs and usage patterns. Additionally, the agreement establishes a shared goal of developing an open refueling standard that defines the interaction and interface between the vehicle and the refueling station in order to enable customer-friendly, cost-effective, dependable, and safe hydrogen refueling. Both businesses encourage more potential partners to join their efforts.
“We want to help our customers lower their emissions by accelerating the speed at which hydrogen trucks become a commercially viable alternative to diesel equivalents.Shell and Daimler Truck intend to work together to support policies that will help to realise this key moment for fuel-cell trucks, and we invite other interested OEMs and industry partners to join us.”
Ben van Beurden, Chief Executive Office of Royal Dutch Shell.
“Shell and Daimler Truck are convinced that hydrogen-powered fuel-cell trucks will be key for enabling CO₂-neutral transportation in the future. With this unparalleled collaboration between two major players of the industry, we are pioneers in tackling the question of what should come first: infrastructure or vehicles. The answer is that both have to go hand in hand and we are both excited by this important step.”
Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG and Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG.
Daimler Trucks and Shell are founding members of the newly formed H2Accelerate consortium, which they view as a critical vehicle for accelerating the implementation of hydrogen-powered transport in Europe. Daimler Trucks and Shell are fully committed to cooperating with the consortium and want to leverage H2Accelerate to facilitate their decade-long implementation ambitions.
The agreement builds on Daimler Truck’s fuel-cell truck rollout plans and is an extension of Shell Group’s existing hydrogen refuelling networks in Europe and North America.
