Dachser puts its first hydrogen trucks into service

Dachser is moving forward with practical tests of zero emission drive technologies for trucks. In 2023, the company plans to put two hydrogen fuel-cell (FCEV) trucks into service in Germany.

Next year, the logistics service provider will put a 27-ton Hyundai Xcient truck on the road in Magdeburg, Germany. The zero-emission truck will be used for regional distribution as well as regular scheduled nighttime services to Berlin. Another hydrogen fuel-cell truck, the 19-ton Enginius Bluepower, will start making deliveries for Dachser to Hamburg’s city center in mid-2023.

In Magdeburg, Dachser is scheduled to start operating a Hyundai Xcient hydrogen fuel-cell truck in early 2023. The vehicle, which has a total permissible weight of 27 metric tons and offers 18 pallet spaces, has a range of up to 400 kilometers, which means it can be used in two shift operation. The truck will be driven by professional drivers who are completing their training at Dachser this year. While the FCEV truck is tested in regional distribution to the Magdeburg area by day, by night it will be driving to Dachser’s branch in Berlin-Schönefeld in system traffic. For nighttime operations, the zero-emission vehicle will be equipped with a tandem swap-body trailer. Facilities for the truck to refuel with hydrogen will be available near the two Dachser branches in Magdeburg and Berlin by the time the vehicle is delivered.

Dachser’s contractual partner in this project is H2 Delivery Truck Pool GmbH & Co. KG in Magdeburg. The sales company is part of H2 Green Power & Logistics GmbH, which presented hydrogen-powered commercial vehicle logistics with the Hyundai Xcient FCEV truck at its roadshow, visiting eleven German cities at the end of 2021.

 

Emission-free in Hamburg

Starting in mid-2023, Dachser will deploy a Bluepower 1938 FCEV truck from Bremen-based Enginius—a subsidiary of the Faun Group—for city-center deliveries in Hamburg. The truck will complement the DACHSER Emission-Free Delivery concept, which features zero local emissions and is scheduled to launch in Hamburg as early as fall 2022. The Bluepower 1938 has a permissible total weight of 19 metric tons and can transport up to 18 pallets of goods with its fixed box trailer. Its estimated range of 250 kilometers plus reserve is ideal for city-center deliveries and also offers very high recuperation potential.

“As part of a study with Kempten University of Applied Sciences, we’ve already determined that there is considerable potential for hydrogen trucks in Dachser’s European groupage network,” explains Stefan Hohm, Chief Development Officer (CDO) and member of the Executive Board at Dachser. “We’re looking forward to introducing the first hydrogen trucks to the Dachser network, as this means we’ll be able to gather valuable hands-on experience with them.”

News release from Dachser, 19/08/2022

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