The collaboration between Kawasaki & Daimler represents an advancement in ongoing efforts to broaden the use of liquid hydrogen.
The MoU Was Pre-Signed in Tokyo, Japan and Later Officially Signed in Berlin, Germany
Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Kawasaki) and Daimler Truck AG (Daimler Truck) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to study the establishment and optimisation of the supply of liquid hydrogen.
The MoU was pre-signed in the first week of June in Tokyo by President and CEO of Kawasaki Heavy Industries Yasuhiko Hashimoto, and Head of Regulatory Strategy of Daimler Truck Dr. Manfred Schuckert in the presence of European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson and Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Ken Saito.
Yoshinori Kanehana, Chairman of the Board of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Daimler Truck, completed the signing during the Hydrogen Council annual meeting in Berlin, Germany in the presence of the German Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Stefan Wenzel, European Commission Executive Vice President Maroš Šefčovič, Japanese State Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Kazuchika Iwata, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Germany Hidenao Yanagi.
The collaboration between the two companies represents an advancement in ongoing efforts to broaden the use of liquid hydrogen, e.g. in road freight transport. The mutual initiative 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.
Yoshinori Kanehana, Chairman of the Board of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, said, “Kawasaki Heavy Industries focuses on liquefied hydrogen out of various hydrogen carriers. We are simultaneously developing all core technologies necessary to establish international hydrogen supply chains, such as hydrogen liquefiers, liquefied hydrogen carriers, liquefied hydrogen storage tanks and its 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. We are proud to be able to contribute to this collaboration, which is highly gratifying,” he added.
Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Daimler Truck, said, “We at Daimler Truck aim to lead sustainable transportation, and hydrogen plays 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. 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.”
The Kawasaki Group is implementing innovative solutions to address societal challenges set forth in Group Vision 2030 which defines its three focal fields as “A Safe and Secure Remotely-Connected Society,” “Near-Future Mobility,” and “Energy and Environmental Solutions,” and provides new customer value.
With its focus fixed on the realisation of hydrogen-based societies in which hydrogen is proactively utilized, as detailed in the Basic Energy Plan of Japan, Kawasaki is working together with government agencies and related companies, both in Japan and overseas, to develop technology for the early establishment of a hydrogen supply chain from production to transportation, storage, and usage.
Daimler Truck is committed to the Paris Climate Agreement and aims to lead sustainable transportation. The company is planning to make its entire range of trucks and buses CO₂-neutral in driving operations across its global core markets (Europe, U.S., Japan) by 2039.
To decarbonise transportation, Daimler Truck is pursuing a dual-track strategy with hydrogen-powered and battery-electric vehicles. The company has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Masdar to explore liquid green hydrogen options from Abu Dhabi/UAE (United Arab Emirates) to Europe by 2030.
In a demonstration of the feasibility of using liquid hydrogen in road transportation, the prototype Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck recently completed a trip of 1,047 kilometres across Germany with one fill of liquid hydrogen under real-life conditions. Daimler Truck is building a customer-trial fleet of Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Trucks which are expected to be deployed in mid-2024.
