France’s TotalEnergies and vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck have agreed to work together to develop infrastructure for heavy-duty hydrogen trucks in Europe.

Daimler Truck will supply hydrogen-powered fuel cell trucks to its customers in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France by 2025.

“I am fully convinced that this collaboration will play a key role in our intensified activities on the road towards hydrogen-powered trucking,” says Karin Radstrom, board member at Daimler Truck.

TotalEnergies aims to operate up to 150 hydrogen refuelling stations in the above countries, as well as in Germany, by 2030.

“The creation of a European network of hydrogen truck stations for mobility is one of the key challenges we intend to tackle,” says Alexis Vovk, a member of the TotalEnergies executive committee.

Total cost of ownership

The companies say in their memorandum of understanding that they want to work together with EU regulatory authorities to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) of hydrogen truck operations.

“The creation of a European network of hydrogen truck stations for mobility is one of the key challenges we intend to tackle” Vovk, TotalEnergies

TCO is primarily driven by fuel costs over the lifetime of the vehicle. Hydrogen vehicles could reach cost parity with diesel vehicles very shortly depending on geographical location, according to speakers at a PE Live event on the use of hydrogen in haulage.

In Europe, prices need to be at €4-6/kg ($5-7/kg) to be cost competitive.

The Hydrogen Council study puts the cost of hydrogen produced from offshore wind in Europe at about $6/kg in 2020—a figure that could drop to $2.50/kg by 2030, the body says. However, this does not include transport and delivery costs.

The EU’s hydrogen strategy says that the 2025 and 2030 targets set out in its CO₂ Emission Standards Regulation will help incentivise the use of hydrogen vehicles once fuel cell technology is sufficiently mature.

The strategy adds that the development of hydrogen refuelling stations is important but does not lay out any specific targets in that regard.

Daimler Truck and TotalEnergies are both members of the H2Accelerate consortium.

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Author: Tom Young