Video Transcript
Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks has beguntestinga Unimog implement carrier prototype that features a hydrogen combustion engine. The test vehicle is part of the development project named WaVe, which seeks to evaluate the possibility of integrating hydrogen combustion as a supplementary component to battery-electric and fuel cell-based propulsion systems.
Engineers conducted tests on a decommissioned highway segment that connects two German cities. During the tests, they documented measurement data while mowing the verge, accelerating, and refueling.
The prototype, derived from the Unimog U 430 implement carrier, features a modified natural gas engine, tank, safety, and monitoring systems, and measurement technology. In the engine compartment, hydrogen combustion produces water that is released as steam through the exhaust system.
Other features include approximately 290 horsepower and four 700-bar high-pressure hydrogen tanks installed behind the cab that can hold about 14 kilograms of gaseous hydrogen. The tanks are combined into double tanks that operate separately with a tank control unit. The team hopes to boost the volume to cover a regular workday in the next development stage.
According to a Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks press release, initial results from the project showed a hydrogen combustion engine could serve as a “sensible, complementary solution for special applications.” The team now plans to use the next six months to make refinements and adjustments.
The WaVe project began in July 2021, is being funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection, and is being implemented by 18 partners.
