Daimler Truck plans 100 NextGenH2 trucks for 2026 launch as hydrogen pact forms
Daimler Truck announced it will put a small series of 100 NextGenH2 hydrogen trucks into customer operations from the end of 2026, with the first batch of 50 already sold, at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover. The NextGenH2 offers more than 1,000 kilometers of range per fill and 1.3 metric tons of extra payload over its battery-electric eActros 600 counterpart.
The truck runs on liquid hydrogen stored at high pressure, eliminating the heavy battery packs that limit range and payload in battery-electric models. Daimler Truck is investing a mid-three-digit million euro amount in hydrogen technology through the end of the decade, with its first hydrogen combustion engine trucks slated for market launch next year. Hydrogen pricing is seen as the make‑or‑break factor, with both Daimler and Volvo targeting a price of around €6 per kilogram to achieve a viable business case. Europe’s roughly 6 million trucks consume about 60 million metric tons of diesel annually, a volume that would require roughly 500 terawatt‑hours of electricity if all were battery‑electric—about Germany’s total yearly power output.
“Also our analysis shows it’s somewhere around 6 euro where it starts to get very, very competitive,” Karin Rådström, president and CEO of Daimler Truck said.
“When we can get down — and that is our analysis at Volvo — at a price point of 6 euro per kilogram in Europe, then we have the business case going,” Martin Lundstedt, president and CEO of Volvo Group said.
Two of Europe’s largest truck makers say the battery-electric rollout got ahead of the chargers needed to run it. Eight companies, including Daimler Truck, Volvo Group, Toyota, Bosch, Air Liquide, TotalEnergies, TEAL Mobility and MB Energy, announced at IAA Transportation on Tuesday that hydrogen fuel, stations and trucks would arrive together to avoid repeating that mistake.
What we know
Daimler Truck plans to put a small series of 100 NextGenH2 trucks into customer operations from the end of 2026, with the first batch of 50 already sold.
The NextGenH2 runs more than 1,000 kilometers on a single fill of liquid hydrogen.
It carries 1.3 metric tons more payload than Daimler’s battery-electric eActros 600.
Hydrogen needs to be around €6 per kilogram to be competitive according to Daimler and Volvo analysis.
Europe has roughly 6 million trucks to convert, burning about 60 million metric tons of diesel a year.