DB Schenker orders first hydrogen fuel cell truck from hylane

DB Schenker has announced its plan to gradually build a hydrogen-powered fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) in collaboration with the leasing start-up hylane. Hylane is part of DEVK and specializes in providing comprehensive hydrogen solutions in the logistics sector.

(Frankfurt/Groningen) On June 13, DB Schenker visited its first fuel cell truck in Groningen, Netherlands, at the premises of Hyzon, a manufacturer of hydrogen-powered trucks. The vehicle will be handed over to DB Schenker by hylane by the end of 2022.

Helmut Schweighofer, CEO of DB Schenker Europe, said: “I am very pleased with the progress we are making in testing a hydrogen-powered vehicle for line transport. This is an important step on our path towards climate-neutral land transport.”

“We are proud to support DB Schenker’s pioneering work with our trucks,” said Sara Schiffer, Managing Director of hylane. “The partnership with DB Schenker demonstrates that hylane meets the high demands that leading companies place on sustainable transport. Together, we will continue to work on advancing the use of hydrogen trucks in Europe.”

DEVK/hylane and DB Schenker began their collaboration nearly two years ago. Both companies recognized the importance of hydrogen for the transport industry and joined forces to move forward.

“In addition to a 360-degree leasing concept, the goal of the collaboration is to develop a swap body truck-trailer combination that carries our standard swap body type with a length of 7,820 mm. This is new to the market and will allow us to decarbonize our land transport network without loss of efficiency,” explained Wolfgang Janda, Executive Vice President, Head of Network & Line Haul Management at DB Schenker.

For long-distance transport, hydrogen-powered trucks have several advantages over battery-electric vehicles: the maximum payload is higher, the range is greater, and the refueling process is comparable to that of diesel vehicles.

DB Schenker plans to begin practical tests with selected customers on some chosen routes in early 2023 and intends to expand and commercialize the system starting in the third quarter of 2023, depending on factors such as hydrogen infrastructure and market acceptance. DB Schenker aims to be carbon neutral by 2040, together with its carriers. The use of green hydrogen (hydrogen produced from renewable energy) is a key element of the company’s decarbonization strategy.

Photo: © Michael Fraunhofer / Image caption: Start of the hydrogen era for DB Schenker: Sara Schiffer, Managing Director of hylane and Helmut Schweighofer, CEO of DB Schenker Europe