Daimler Truck on hydrogen: battery first, not battery only

Tens of millions of trucks operate on the world’s roadways today, filling a vital economic role but also adding significantly to overall CO2 emissions. Europe alone has more than six million trucks, producing around 7% of the region’s CO2. Looming environmental regulations demand a radical change, and many players are looking to battery electric as the solution. In most instances, battery power can indeed be a great fit, but not always. A growing number of automakers and fleets are looking to hydrogen as a supplementary low-carbon solution for certain use cases. At Daimler Truck, the company takes a ‘battery first’ as opposed to ‘battery only’ approach.