Daimler Truck and BP Advanced Mobility (BP) have announced that they will work together to accelerate the introduction of a hydrogen network in the UK, aimed at decarbonising freight transport.

The parties intend to pilot the development of hydrogen infrastructure and the introduction of hydrogen-powered fuel-cell trucks in the UK. 

Under a memorandum of understanding (MoU), BP will assess the feasibility of designing, constructing, operating and supplying a network of up to 25 hydrogen refuelling stations across the UK by 2030. 

These stations will be supplied by BP with green hydrogen – in other words, generated from water using renewable power. 

Complementing this, Daimler Truck expects to deliver its first hydrogen-powered fuel-cell trucks to UK customers from 2025. 

The hydrogen-powered fuel-cell drive will become indispensable in the future, especially for carbon-dioxide- (CO₂-) neutral long-haul road transportation, says Mercedes-Benz Trucks and Daimler Truck management board member Karin Rådström. 

“Together with BP, we want to jointly develop and scale the required hydrogen infrastructure by putting our hydrogen-powered fuel-cell trucks into our customers’ hands and thus supporting the decarbonisation of the UK freight network.” 

“Hydrogen is critical to decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors, and for heavy and long-distance freight it is sometimes the only answer,” adds BP customer and products executive VP Emma Delaney.

“Working with a leading manufacturer like Daimler Truck, we can accelerate the deployment of both vehicles and infrastructure and pioneer the use of hydrogen to fuel the next generation of UK freight. 

“From producing and supplying hydrogen through to building and operating the fuelling stations, BP is perfectly positioned to transform transport and ultimately build a better energy future.”

Daimler Truck has the ambition to only offer new vehicles that are CO₂-neutral in driving operation (from tank to wheel) in Europe, North America and Japan by 2039.

The German manufacturer is focussed on using both battery power and hydrogen-based fuel-cells in its trucks.

Currently, the company is testing a new enhanced prototype of its hydrogen-powered Mercedes-Benz GenH2 truck on public roads in Germany. 

The first series-produced GenH2 trucks are expected to be handed over to customers in 2027. 

Daimler Truck says it has a clear preference for liquid hydrogen. 

In this state, the energy carrier has a higher energy density in relation to volume than gaseous hydrogen. 

As a result, the tanks of a fuel-cell truck using liquid hydrogen are much smaller and, owing to the lower pressure, significantly lighter. 

This gives the trucks more cargo space and a higher payload. 

At the same time, more hydrogen can be carried, which significantly increases the truck’s range. 

This should make the commercial version of the GenH2 Truck suitable for multiday, difficult-to-plan long-haul trips and/or where the daily energy output is high – similar to what conventional diesel trucks can achieve today.

Traditionally a fossil fuel giant, BP already has 11 000 electric vehicle charging points globally and is expanding its network to 70 000 points by 2030. 

In the UK, BP has plans to build a hydrogen-producing facility in Teesside, UK, which could produce 1 GW of blue hydrogen produced from natural gas integrated with carbon capture and storage. 

BP is also exploring the potential for green hydrogen in the region, including supporting the development of Teesside as the UK’s first hydrogen transport hub. 

These activities support the UK government’s target of developing 5 GW of hydrogen production by 2030.