NEWS Limited space for battery packs or fuel cell technology makes the Unimog well suited to a hydrogen combustion engine.
Hydrogen Unimog project underway AMONG THE MANY SPECIALISED ROLES HANDLED by the iconic Mercedes-Benz Unimog is that of implement carrier. That work can include mowing steep slopes at the side of the road, maintaining green areas, giving the lawn on the sports or golf course the perfect cut or clearing the road in winter. For these and many other tasks, service providers need an implement carrier that is not only reliable and powerful but also light and compact. The implement carrier role places high demands on output, performance and payload. However, as space is limited, the installation of a purely battery-electric drive or hydrogen-based fuel cells for future models would be challenging. So Daimler Truck has another hydrogen programme underway with a Unimog prototype powered with a hydrogen combustion engine. The Unimog prototype is part of Germany’s publicly funded WaVe project, which is examining the extent to which the tasks of a conventional diesel engine as a multi-power distributor for the traction drive and all power take-offs can also be performed by a hydrogen-powered combustion engine in the future. Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks is the consortium leader of the project, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, and being implemented jointly by 18 partners from industry and science. The project began in July 2021 and the first test phase of the H2 engine was successfully completed on a test bench in mid-2022. The engine 8 | Truck & Driver
together with fuel tank, safety and monitoring systems were installed in the Unimog earlier this year, and initial tests in driving operation were carried out. In the second quarter of 2023, the prototype will be equipped with a body implement for mowing in order to gain further insights into work mode. “With our Unimog, which can be used all year round, we have been highlighting the diversity of the implement carrier for decades in fields of application such as green area maintenance, horticulture and landscaping or winter service, among other things,” says Franziska Cusumano, the recently appointed Head of Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks & Custom Tailored Trucks. “At the same time, we have a firm eye on the future and, as consortium leader of the WaVe innovation project, we are also committed to the decarbonisation of the working machine sector,” she says. “This underpins Daimler Truck’s ambition to only offer climate-neutral new vehicles in driving operation in its core markets by 2039 by presenting a first prototype of the Unimog with a hydrogen-powered combustion engine within the framework of this research project.” By 2039, Daimler Truck intends to offer only climate-neutral new vehicles in driving operation in its core global markets (EU30, USA and Japan). In order to achieve this objective, the company is consistently pursuing a dual strategy in the electrification of its portfolio by developing both battery and hydrogen-based drive systems. T&D
