BMW Puts Hydrogen Combustion Truck to Work at Leipzig Plant

BMW Group has begun running an 18-tonne truck powered by a hydrogen combustion engine in daily logistics operations at its Leipzig factory, a move the company describes as a first for German car manufacturing. The vehicle is initially tasked with ferrying parts to the site’s exterior plastics division, and is set to graduate to just-in-time deliveries of exterior components to the vehicle assembly line. Testing will also take in longer routes and round-the-clock three-shift operation.

The powertrain itself is a derivative of conventional diesel technology, adapted to burn hydrogen with virtually no CO2 emissions. Deutz supplied the engine, Rudolph Logistics Group handles day-to-day operation of the truck, and Teal Mobility provided the refuelling infrastructure. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport is funding the research project, which BMW is leading.

BMW’s rationale for the trial is that hydrogen trucks can slot in alongside battery-electric models in cases where daily mileage is high or where charging capacity is in short supply. The automaker also argues that combustion engines are more tolerant of variable hydrogen quality than fuel cells, which are sensitive to impurities in the fuel. What is still missing, by BMW’s own admission, is a dependable filling network to support wider adoption.

The initiative fits BMW’s stated technology-open approach to decarbonising its logistics chain. Dirk Wiedmann, who heads the company’s Production Network and Logistics division, framed the project as a way to gather hands-on experience, noting that the group is using data to match alternative drivetrains to specific applications and that routine operation of a hydrogen combustion truck in German car production is a first.

The trial arrives as European manufacturers weigh a mix of solutions for heavy transport, where battery weight and recharging downtime remain practical obstacles on long-haul routes. Hydrogen combustion offers a bridge for fleets already familiar with diesel maintenance and servicing, though the absence of a mature refuelling backbone continues to limit how quickly such vehicles can spread beyond pilot programmes like this one at Leipzig.