Five Mercedes-Benz GenH2 hydrogen fuel-cell trucks have clocked more than 225,000km in real-world logistics with Air Products, Amazon, Holcim, Ineos Inovyn and Wiedmann & Winz, as Daimler Truck pushes towards small-series production.
The year-long trials in Germany reported diesel-like usability with 1000km-plus range and 10–15 minute refuelling using liquid hydrogen. Across the programme, there were 285 refuellings amounting to about 15 tonnes of liquid hydrogen at stations in Wörth am Rhein and Duisburg. Average consumption sat between 5.6–8kg/100km at gross combination weights of 16–34 tonnes.
Michael Scheib, head of entire vehicle development at Mercedes-Benz Trucks, says the initial customer trials are helping with further development of the technology.
“By deploying the GenH2 Trucks in real-world logistics operations, we have been able to demonstrate their performance, reliability and efficiency across various transport applications and gain important insights.
“This enables us to refine the technology and vehicles according to the specific needs of our customers all the way to series production. Furthermore, the intensive use of the liquid hydrogen fuelling stations during the trials enables further optimisation of the refuelling process.
“All these practical experiences also help us to optimally prepare our sales and service for the deployment of hydrogen trucks for our customers.”
What operators saw on the road
Amazon says the pre-series units proved reliable in a five-day roster. Fabian Duex, Amazon Transportation Services director for EU surface transportation operations, says the GenH2 Truck demonstrated “solid reliability and fuel efficiency”.
“During the trial, it consistently achieved ranges of over 1000 kilometers on a single tank, and the truck operated smoothly in a five-day-a-week schedule. Based on our partner’s experience with the pre-series vehicles, the GenH2 Truck shows promising maturity.”
Holcim pointed to long-haul suitability but called out costs. Roger Haschka, global category manager trucks & trailers, Holcim Technology, says the vehicle demonstrates that hydrogen propulsion is a viable technology for the future.
“Payload and range meet our requirements. For the sustainable decarbonisation of our Scope 3 emissions – in addition to the use of battery-electric trucks – the key challenge for the industry is to create an economical, TCO-based business case that allows the vehicle to be operated without cost disadvantages.”
Wiedmann & Winz highlighted parity with diesel on deployment flexibility.
“The Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck is on a par with the diesel Actros in many ways – that makes it so valuable for us,” Wiedmann & Winz managing director Dr. Micha Lege says.
“Due to the high range and the short refuelling times, we can deploy the GenH2 Truck like a diesel truck.
“We cannot afford to rely on just one technology. In order for the drive system revolution to work, we need a technology mix of battery-electric and hydrogen trucks. With the fuel cell from cellcentric, we use state-of-the-art technology made in Germany.”
Bottlenecks: fuel network and TCO
Daimler Truck says the main near-term hurdle is infrastructure — especially for liquid hydrogen. Industry requirements point to around 2,000 hydrogen stations across Europe by 2030 to support large-scale rollout. Customers also reported that a positive total cost of ownership isn’t yet possible given the current hydrogen price and vehicle insurance costs.
The GenH2 setup pairs a 300kW fuel cell (from cellcentric, Daimler/Volvo JV) with a 70kWh battery for power peaks. Daimler prefers liquid hydrogen (LH2) for higher energy density and payload; the trucks carry two 40kg LH2 tanks.
A second trial phase with the same trucks and five additional customers begins in Q4 2025. Daimler has started work on the next-generation GenH2, with 100 small-series trucks planned from late 2026 at Wörth. The company continues a dual-track approach — battery-electric and hydrogen — with broader fuel-cell industrialisation in Europe targeted for the early 2030s.
