Mercedes-Benz is testing a Unimog geared up with a hydrogen combustion engine, in a bid to finally supply low-emission vehicles with efficiency on a par with at present’s diesels.

The German big is utilizing a Unimog U430, which packs a 7.7-litre straight six that ordinarily places out 295bhp and 885lb ft.

These figures dip barely when operating on hydrogen to 286bhp and 738lb ft. However, Mercedes notes that the engine is “noticeably quieter” when operating on the gasoline.

It’s fed by 4 tanks that maintain round 14kg of hydrogen at a stress of 700bar (10,152psi).

The subsequent step of growth is to extend the quantity of hydrogen aboard to permit the Unimog to finish a full working day mowing a motorway verge with out refilling.

Mercedes hasn’t shared any effectivity figures for the present check automobile.

Mercedes describes the hydrogen combustion engine as a “complimentary” answer to decarbonisation for “special applications”, alongside battery electrification and using hydrogen gasoline cells.

The benefit of hydrogen combustion is that it could possibly have a considerably decrease environmental impression than utilizing fossil fuels, offered that the hydrogen is sourced by electrolysing water with renewable electrical energy (which emits no carbon).

Combusting hydrogen with the air – which largely includes nitrogen and oxygen – does not produce CO2 emissions. However, it does produce NOx, which is linked to respiratory issues akin to bronchial asthma.

As such, hydrogen combustion is touted as extra of a viable answer for industrial autos, which usually work exterior cities and cities.