Daimler Truck & Keyou: Hydrogen engines from 2027

Hydrogen Combustion Engine Keyou Retrofits Engines for Daimler Truck

2026-06-22 From Thomas Günnel | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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Daimler Truck is collaborating with Keyou to offer trucks with hydrogen combustion engines. The first models are expected to hit the market in 2027.

Keyou will offer the retrofitted trucks under the designation "Keyou Hice 4.0" in the future.(Source: Keyou) — Keyou will offer the retrofitted trucks under the designation "Keyou Hice 4.0" in the future.
(Source: Keyou)

Daimler Truck and Keyou are collaborating on hydrogen-powered combustion engines. The goal is "to provide a readily available, economical, and robust technology that meaningfully complements existing decarbonized drivetrains," Daimler Truck states. The technical foundation is based on existing vehicle and engine variants from the commercial vehicle manufacturer. The first trucks with the retrofitted engine are set to hit the market in 2027.

Partnership Instead of In-House Development

Daimler Truck has, according to its own statements, investigated hydrogen combustion engines in pre-development—but is relying on a partner for market launch. This saves time in development and until market introduction. Keyou has been retrofitting existing engines for hydrogen combustion for years, based on series vehicles.

Keyou Purchases Trucks for Retrofitting

Daimler Truck will sell Mercedes-Benz Actros L 1848 vehicles as semi-trailer trucks with Mannheim-manufactured engines, based on the existing 12.8-liter engine platform, to Keyou. There, the technological adaptation to a hydrogen-powered combustion engine takes place.

Keyou Wasserstoff-Verbrennungsmotor — Keyou retrofits engines for Daimler Truck to burn hydrogen.
(Source: Keyou)

The actual conversion of the trucks and the integration of the retrofitted engine are handled by unnamed external service providers. Keyou then offers the trucks to customers, prospectively in combination with the corresponding infrastructure. Service and maintenance are said to be ^^part of the collaboration. According to the companies, the technology is transferable to other vehicle series.

The resulting semi-trailer truck "Keyou HICE.40" from the conversion is designed for operation with a total vehicle weight of 40 tons and, according to the manufacturer, should be able to drive up to 650 kilometers on a full tank. The engines are expected to deliver up to 350 kilowatts. The hydrogen is stored at a pressure of 350 bar.

Robust Alternative to the Fuel Cell

According to Daimler Truck, the hydrogen combustion engine is a robust drive option with lower system complexity compared to a fuel cell—with very little need for adaptation to existing vehicle architectures. In addition to the hydrogen combustion engine, the truck manufacturer also offers battery-electric trucks and those with fuel cells.

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