Masdar, Daimler to study liquid green hydrogen supply options

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company  Masdar, the UAE’s clean energy powerhouse, and Daimler Truck Holding AG (“Daimler Truck”), one of the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturers, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the feasibility of liquid green hydrogen exports from Abu Dhabi (UAE) to Europe by 2030.

The MoU was signed in Abu Dhabi by Fawaz Al Muharrami, Executive Director of Clean Energy and Deputy COO at Masdar and Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Daimler Truck. The collaboration between the two pioneering companies with complementary roles represents a significant advancement in ongoing efforts to tackle CO2-emissions in road freight transport.

Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, Masdar CEO said: “Masdar’s ambition is to be one of the leading players in the development of green hydrogen globally and we believe that transportation is one of the most strategic markets for green hydrogen. This agreement has the potential to enable a significant reduction of CO2-emissions in road freight transport in Europe, supports the UAE’s ambition to become a leader in the low-carbon hydrogen market by 2031 and aligns with our ’smart-early-mover’ approach to deliver projects with strategic partners across the world.”

Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management and CEO of Daimler Truck: “We at Daimler Truck aim to lead sustainable transportation. In order to decarbonize commercial vehicles, it is absolutely crucial to make green energy globally available. Our initiative with Masdar marks an initial step for us to enable the supply of liquid green hydrogen in Europe.”

The UAE plans to establish itself as a leading and reliable producer and supplier of low carbon hydrogen by 2031.

As the UAE’s clean energy powerhouse and one of the fastest growing renewable companies in the world, Masdar is at the vanguard of advancing the development and deployment of renewable energy and green hydrogen technologies to address global sustainability challenges.

Established in 2006, Masdar has developed projects in more than 40 countries with a total electricity generation capacity of more than 20GW (Gigawatt). It has invested, or committed to invest, in worldwide projects with a combined value of more than US$30 billion with ambitious growth plans to reach 100GW by 2030.

Daimler Truck is clearly committed to the Paris Climate Agreement and to lead sustainable transportation. The company is planning to make its entire range of trucks and buses CO2-neutral in driving operation across its global core markets (Europe, U.S., Japan) by 2039.

To decarbonize transportation, Daimler Truck is pursuing a dual-track strategy with hydrogen- and battery-powered vehicles. In a demonstration of the feasibility of using liquid hydrogen in road transportation, the company’s prototype Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck recently completed a trip of 1,047 kilometers 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.

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) is the UAE’s clean energy champion and one of the fastest growing companies in the world, advancing the development and deployment of renewable energy and green hydrogen technologies to address global sustainability challenges. Established in 2006, Masdar has developed projects in over 40 countries, helping them to achieve their clean energy objectives and advance sustainable development. Masdar is jointly owned by Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala), and Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (TAQA), and under this ownership the company is targeting a renewable energy portfolio capacity of at least 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2030. and an annual green hydrogen production capacity of up to 1 million tons by the same year.

Daimler Truck Holding AG (“Daimler Truck”) is one of the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, with over 40 main locations and more than 100,000 employees around the globe.

The founders of Daimler Truck invented the modern transportation industry with their trucks and buses a good 125 years ago. Unchanged to this day, the Company’s aspirations are dedicated to one purpose: Daimler Truck works for all who keep the world moving. Its customers enable people to be mobile and get goods to their destinations reliably, on time, and safely. Daimler Truck provides the technologies, products, and services for them to do so.

This also applies to the transformation to CO2-neutral driving. The Company is striving to make sustainable transport a success, with profound technological knowledge and a clear view of its customers’ needs. Daimler Truck’s business activities are structured in five reporting segments: Trucks North America (TN) with the truck brands Freightliner and Western Star and the school bus brand Thomas Built Buses. Trucks Asia (TA) with the FUSO, BharatBenz and RIZON commercial vehicle brands. Mercedes-Benz (MB) with the truck brand of the same name. Daimler Buses (DB) with the Mercedes-Benz and Setra bus brands. Daimler Truck’s Financial Services business (DTFS) constitutes the fifth segment, the product range in the truck segments includes light, medium and heavy trucks for long-distance, distribution and construction traffic and special-purpose vehicles used in the municipal and vocational sector.