Hydrogen Trucks: Industry Sees Long-Term Market Alongside Battery-Electric Trucks – Companies Join Forces to Drive Market Ramp-Up
Hanover – Daimler Truck, Volvo Group, Toyota, Bosch, Air Liquide, TotalEnergies, TEAL Mobility and MB Energy plan to jointly advance the market ramp-up of hydrogen trucks in Europe. The companies, spanning vehicle manufacturing, the supplier industry and the energy sector, intend to expand vehicles, hydrogen supply and refuelling infrastructure in parallel. Germany is set to serve as the first European scaling market.
Daimler and Volvo Continue to Back Hydrogen Trucks
Daimler Truck plans to bring a small series of 100 next-generation fuel-cell trucks into customer operation from the end of 2026. By the end of the decade, the company intends to invest a mid three-digit million amount in hydrogen trucks. In parallel, Daimler Truck is preparing its first trucks with hydrogen combustion engines for market launch in 2027.
Volvo Group is also developing both fuel-cell trucks and vehicles with hydrogen combustion engines, targeting market launch by 2030. Toyota is participating as a fuel-cell technology partner, while Bosch is supplying vehicle components and refuelling technology for both gaseous and liquid hydrogen.
Energy Companies Expand Hydrogen Supply and Refuelling Stations
On the energy and infrastructure side, the truck manufacturers are working with Air Liquide, TotalEnergies and MB Energy, as well as TEAL Mobility, a joint venture between TotalEnergies and Air Liquide. The companies plan to scale up supply chains for liquid and gaseous hydrogen and build high-capacity refuelling stations capable of serving up to 100 trucks per day.
Cost-competitiveness against diesel trucks remains decisive for the market ramp-up. Alongside falling vehicle costs driven by higher production volumes, the companies are counting on cheaper hydrogen supply chains, funding programmes and toll incentives for zero-emission vehicles.
Interest in funding support has been strong: by the end of June, 526 applications had been submitted, including 71 for hydrogen refuelling stations and 455 for vehicles and vehicle fleets. Since individual applications can cover entire vehicle fleets, the 455 applications do not indicate the actual number of vehicles applied for; a total figure has not yet been published. With a requested funding volume of EUR 455 million against EUR 220 million available, the programme was oversubscribed by more than two to one.
Hydrogen Must Assert Itself Alongside Battery-Electric Trucks
The EU is supporting the infrastructure build-out through the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which requires hydrogen refuelling stations, among other measures, to be established along the European long-distance network (TEN-T core network) at intervals of no more than 200 km by 2030.
Nevertheless, which market share hydrogen trucks will achieve remains open. Battery-electric drivetrains are gaining ground in heavy road freight transport and, according to the European Commission, are expected to dominate the market for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles in the near term. The cooperation now announced, however, shows that leading vehicle, technology and energy companies continue to invest in hydrogen in parallel, seeing a long-term market for the technology, particularly in demanding transport applications.
Source: IWR Online, 16 Sep 2026
