Sara Schiffer, founder and director of hylane, advisor to the board at DEVK, © hylane

The idea of carmakers running their own car sharing enterprises has been around for years. But an insurance company leasing hydrogen-powered trucks is something completely new. Indeed at first glance the plans put forward by hylane, a subsidiary of German insurer DEVK (historically an insurance fund for railroad employees), seem rather unconventional. During the course of the company’s press conference on April 11, 2022, however, the partners involved made it clear that unusual times occasionally call for unusual measures. The same applies to the H2 Delivery brand which began marketing its rental concept in December 2021.The company hylane GmbH was founded in 2021 by DEVK in order to drive forward the transition to more sustainable forms of transport. As a climate-friendly mobility provider, the subsidiary plans to only hire out vehicles that are green. The current focus is on hydrogen-propelled trucks with various fixtures and superstructures – with cargo vans and buses expected to be added at a later date.

The goal is to offer potential users the highest level of convenience without them having to run any risks themselves. As such, hylane has ordered 44 tractor units as well as complete tractor-trailer combinations from various manufacturers which will in future be made available to customers on a pay-per-use basis. The company said: “The risk for technical breakdowns therefore lies not with users, but with hylane. All services (not including fuel and the driver) are covered by the rental fee.”

Sara Schiffer, who is director of Cologne-based hylane, explained during the press conference: “We have already concluded rental agreements for the initial vehicles. Our first customer is the global logistics service provider DB Schenker.”

Starting out: five vehicles at four sites
The first five vehicles are due to be made available at the end of 2022 and are expected to be Hyundai semi-trailer trucks. Eventually it is hoped that these will be complemented by vehicles produced by Hyzon Motors. The company also plans to use Daimler Truck tractor units that have been converted to hydrogen propulsion by Clean Logistics Technology. Further additions to the lineup are set to be MAN Truck & Bus swap body trucks that have been refitted by Framo eTrucks with a Robert Bosch fuel cell.

Some of the vehicles are oversized, with an excess length of around 24 inches (60 centimeters) due to the placement of the hydrogen tanks behind the cabs. This overlength requires approval, hence DEVK is working on obtaining the appropriate permissions.[…]

… Read this article to the end in the latest H2-International

Author: Sven Geitmann