Daimler Truck, Kawasaki to study liquid H2 supply chains

Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Daimler Truck AG have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to study the establishment and optimization for supply of liquid hydrogen for the decarbonization or road freight transportation in Europe. The agreement was signed during the Hydrogen Council annual meeting in Berlin, Germany, last week.

The signing ceremony between Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Daimler Truck. (Photo: Daimler Truck)

The mutual initiative between the two companies includes the study of the entire supply chain for liquid hydrogen, including LH2-terminals, large- and medium-sized overseas shipping and large-scale liquid hydrogen storage.

According to Yoshinori Kanehana, Chairman of the Board, Kawasaki Heavy Industries focuses on liquefied hydrogen out of various hydrogen carriers and is simultaneously developing core technologies necessary to establish international hydrogen supply chains. These technologies include hydrogen liquefiers, liquefied hydrogen carriers, liquefied hydrogen storage tanks and their usage.

“In the context of the European hydrogen market, which has the world’s largest demand, Germany’s efforts are indeed crucial. Daimler Truck is advancing the development of next-generation fuel cell trucks powered by liquified hydrogen, aiming to be a pioneer in the liquified hydrogen market,” he noted. “We are proud to be able to contribute to this collaboration, which is highly gratifying.”

Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Daimler Truck, said Daimler Truck aims to lead sustainable transportation, and believes hydrogen will play a key role in decarbonization.

“Besides providing the right trucks and buses, it is absolutely crucial to establish the supply and lower the costs of green hydrogen,” he continued. “Our initiative with Kawasaki underlines the comprehensive view and activities Daimler Truck is pursuing to make economically priced green liquid hydrogen a reality for our customers.”

Daimler Truck said it is pursuing a dual-track strategy with hydrogen-powered and battery-electric vehicles. It recently signed a MoU with Masdar to explore liquid green hydrogen options from Abu Dhabi/UAE (United Arab Emirates) to Europe by 2030.