BMW Group Launches Hydrogen-Powered Trucks for Sustainable Freight Transport
Key Ideas
  • The BMW Group is piloting hydrogen-powered trucks as part of the European H2Haul project to promote hydrogen mobility in freight transport between Leipzig, Landsberg, and Nuremberg.
  • The fuel cell trucks aim to provide insights on practical suitability, rapid refuelling, and viability in real-world operations to advance technology towards market maturity.
  • Hydrogen trucks could complement electric trucks on long-haul routes due to short refuelling times and longer ranges, offering flexibility in logistics without grid constraints.
  • In addition to fuel cell trucks, BMW is testing hydrogen combustion engine trucks, with plans to introduce hydrogen-powered vehicles into series production from 2028 to expand their emission-free drive options.
The BMW Group is embarking on a pilot operation with two hydrogen-powered trucks to promote hydrogen mobility in freight transport as part of the European H2Haul project. These emission-free trucks will operate between Leipzig, Landsberg, and Nuremberg to evaluate their practical suitability. To support this initiative, the BMW Group is building two new hydrogen filling stations in Leipzig and Hormersdorf to facilitate rapid refuelling. The project aims to gather valuable insights that will contribute to the advancement of hydrogen technology, paving the way for broader adoption in road freight transport. Hydrogen-powered trucks offer advantages such as short refuelling times, longer ranges, and flexibility in logistics, making them a potential complement to electric trucks, especially for long-haul routes. In parallel, BMW is also testing hydrogen combustion engine trucks within the HyCET project to explore efficiency and production cost differences. The BMW plant in Leipzig has been a significant contributor to hydrogen technology, implementing various milestones like indoor hydrogen filling stations for forklifts and tugger trains since 2013. Looking ahead, BMW plans to begin series production of hydrogen-powered vehicles from 2028, starting with the BMW iX5 Hydrogen, to expand their portfolio of zero-emission drive options.
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