On August 24, H2Accelerate, a partnership of multinational companies including Daimler Trucks, IVECO, Volvo Group, Shell and Total Energy, released its latest white paper “Fuel cell Trucks Market Outlook” (” Outlook “), which clarified its expectations for the Fuel cell trucks and hydrogen energy infrastructure market in Europe. The policy support that needs to be promoted to achieve zero net emissions from trucking in continental Europe is also discussed.

In support of its decarbonization goals, the Outlook envisages three phases for the future deployment of hydrogen trucks in Europe: the first phase is the “exploratory layout” period, from now until 2025; The second stage is the “industrial scale promotion” period, from 2025 to 2028; The third stage is after 2028, the period of “sustainable growth”.

In the first phase, the first hundreds of hydrogen-powered trucks will be deployed, using the existing network of refueling stations. The Outlook notes that while the existing network of hydrogenation stations will be able to meet demand during this period, the planning and construction of new hydrogenation infrastructure will also need to be on the agenda during this period.

In the second stage, the hydrogen truck industry will enter the stage of large-scale development. According to the Outlook, thousands of vehicles will be put into service during this period and a europe-wide network of hydrogenation stations along key transport corridors will form a key component of a sustainable hydrogen market in Europe.

In the final phase of “sustainable growth”, in which economies of scale are developed to help reduce prices across the supply chain, public finance support can be phased out to create sustainable support policies. The Vision emphasizes that truck manufacturers, hydrogen suppliers, vehicle customers and the governments of eu member states need to work together to achieve this vision.

It is understood that in order to ensure the achievement of climate goals, Europe is actively seeking to transform the road freight sector. The move follows a pledge by Europe’s biggest truck makers to stop selling emissions-emitting vehicles in 2040, 10 years earlier than planned. H2Accelerate member companies have already begun to promote the use of hydrogen trucks. As early as April 2020, Daimler signed a non-binding preliminary agreement with The Volvo Group for a new joint venture to develop, manufacture and commercialize fuel cell systems for heavy commercial vehicles and other application scenarios, with mass production of fuel cell products for heavy trucks by around 2025.

In May, Daimler Trucks and Shell New Energy revealed they had signed an agreement in which Shell committed to build hydrogenation stations for heavy trucks sold by Daimler Trucks to customers. Under the agreement, Shell will build heavy truck refuelling stations between the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and green hydrogen production centers in Cologne and Hamburg in Germany from 2024. ”The plan aims to continuously expand the hydrogen-powered freight corridor, which will cover 1,200km by 2025, and deliver 150 refueling stations and approximately 5,000 Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty fuel cell trucks by 2030,” the companies said in a joint statement.

“We are more convinced than ever that decarbonisation of road freight must begin immediately if climate targets are to be met,” H2Accelerate spokesperson Ben Madden said in introducing the outlook: ”This latest white paper from us demonstrates the commitment of the players in this important industry to expanding investment and supports policy makers in taking the necessary steps to facilitate these investments.”