Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
World’s largest truck maker says batteries, hydrogen are the future
The world’s largest truck and bus maker is charting an ambitious zero-emission future and says it’s not that far off — despite higher costs and the current lack of support infrastructure.
Daimler AG’s truck division says it plans to shift most of its vehicle development resources to zero-emission vehicles by 2025, and predicts that battery and hydrogen-powered trucks could be competitive with diesels on cost later this decade.
Daimler Truck CEO Martin Daum underlined the company’s big plans for hydrogen, even though the technology is not as close to practical use as batteries and vehicle costs remain high.
Daimler Truck, with brands including Freightliner and Mercedes-Benz, outlined its strategy for a wide-ranging transition away from internal combustion vehicles after it is spun off as an independent company later this year from Daimler AG.
The restructuring would create separate companies for the truck business and Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz luxury car division.
Chief Technology Officer Andreas Gorbach said the company would spend the “vast majority” of vehicle development money on battery and hydrogen vehicles by 2025.
He predicted that the cost of such vehicles would fall to parity with diesels sometime after 2025 for battery vehicles and after 2027 for hydrogen fuel-cell trucks.
A key obstacle remains infrastructure for fueling and charging, which is “in its infancy and developing at different speeds around the world,” he said.
Nonetheless, the company’s road map foresees up to 60% of sales as battery or hydrogen vehicles by 2030.