KEYOU and Daimler Truck bring hydrogen combustion engine to market

KEYOU and Daimler Truck join forces on hydrogen combustion engine for heavy transport

German hydrogen technology company KEYOU and Daimler Truck have signed a partnership agreement to develop and commercialise hydrogen internal combustion engine (H2-ICE) trucks. The first joint vehicle will be the KEYOU HICE.40 — a 40-tonne tractor unit based on the Mercedes-Benz Actros L 1848 — planned for commercial rollout from late 2027.

How the partnership works

Under the agreement, Daimler Truck will supply existing Actros L 1848 tractor units and 12.8-litre engines produced at its Mannheim plant. KEYOU is responsible for converting these to run on hydrogen using its proprietary KEYOU-inside technology, while external conversion specialists will handle vehicle integration.

The resulting truck runs on 350-bar compressed hydrogen, delivers up to 350 kW of power, and is expected to achieve a range of up to 650 kilometres. Longer term, the technology can also be applied to additional Daimler Truck model lines. KEYOU will market the completed vehicles directly to customers, potentially alongside hydrogen refuelling infrastructure development supported by German federal transport funding.

H2-ICE as a complement to fuel cell and battery-electric

The hydrogen combustion engine offers a third zero-emission drivetrain option alongside fuel cell and battery-electric technology. Daimler Truck highlights the technology's robustness, lower system complexity compared with fuel cells, and minimal adaptation requirements to existing vehicle architectures — allowing existing production facilities and service networks to be leveraged for cost-efficient scaling.

Both companies emphasise that heavy freight and logistics applications require multiple drivetrain solutions. KEYOU CEO Thomas Korn stated: "The partnership with Daimler Truck is an important step for us to bring our KEYOU-inside technology into industrial application. Together, we can significantly accelerate the development and scaling of hydrogen-based drive solutions in the commercial vehicle sector."

Andreas Gorbach, Daimler Truck board member responsible for Truck Technology, added: "The road freight transport sector requires different drive solutions for different applications. Hydrogen can be used to power both fuel cells and internal combustion engines. By working with KEYOU, we are bringing this technology to market quickly and efficiently."

Infrastructure and energy strategy

KEYOU and Daimler Truck also point to the broader context: as a globally tradable, renewable energy carrier, hydrogen has a role in decarbonising energy-intensive sectors beyond transport, from the steel industry to road freight. Europe currently imports more than 50 percent of its primary energy as fossil fuels. A parallel build-up of hydrogen infrastructure alongside the electricity grid supports not only decarbonisation goals but also energy security and grid relief.

Daimler Truck is also investing in refuelling stations capable of dispensing both gaseous and liquid hydrogen from a single site — analogous to conventional petrol and diesel stations today.

Background: KEYOU and H2-ICE

KEYOU was founded in 2015 by engineers with backgrounds at BMW, focusing exclusively on converting existing diesel engine platforms to run on hydrogen. The company previously delivered an 18-tonne hydrogen ICE truck to logistics firm EP-Trans and has collaborated with Komatsu on hydrogen-powered construction equipment. The HICE.40 represents the company's move from pioneer fleet to large-scale market entry.

Sources

- KEYOU / Daimler Truck official press release (keyou.de, 22 June 2026)

- Daimler Truck Newsroom: daimlertruck.com

- Gasworld: gasworld.com

- Clean Trucking: cleantrucking.com

- H2 International: h2-international.com

- Transport Online: transport-online.nl