A hydrogen truck to try out: Green Planet puts MAN hTGX into service as a demo vehicle
A hydrogen demo truck was officially put into service on 23 July at the Green Planet multifuel station in Pesse, in the north of the Netherlands. The MAN hTGX with trailer can be borrowed by transport companies that want to find out for themselves what hydrogen means for heavy road haulage.
Jeroen Westendorp, alderman of the municipality of Hoogeveen, rode along from the town hall to the Green Planet site, where the truck was christened and a refuelling demonstration followed.
What the MAN hTGX offers
The hTGX runs on a hydrogen combustion engine: the H45 burns hydrogen instead of diesel and leaves mainly water vapour behind in use. The headline figures:
- 520 hp and 2,500 newton metres of torque, paired with the MAN TipMatic DirectDrive transmission.
- Four tanks holding a combined 56 kilos of hydrogen at a working pressure of 700 bar.
- A range of around 600 kilometres.
- Refuelling in ten to fifteen minutes.
Because the vehicle stays relatively light, the operator keeps more payload. And that compounds: the less weight you haul around, the less energy it takes to get the combination moving and keep it moving.
Four hauliers taking part
BORK Groep and Lubbers Transport have already gained hands-on experience with the truck. Vredeveld Transport and Zuidema Groep will next run it in their own operations. Other interested companies can request the demo truck through MAN dealers Roordink Bedrijfswagens and Wierda Bedrijfswagens.
"A vehicle on its own is not enough," says initiator Edward Doorten of Green Planet. Refuelling infrastructure, hydrogen availability, a workable business case and clear policy all need to move together, in his view. Alongside hydrogen, his station in Pesse supplies diesel, HVO, LNG and electricity, so customers can make the transition step by step.
Dutch and European backing
The project was set up with MAN Truck & Bus and insurer TVM, and is supported by the Dutch DKTI-Transport scheme and the European HEAVENN project under the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. HEAVENN is building a complete hydrogen system in the northern Netherlands, from production through to end use.
Why a demo truck works
For many transport operators, hydrogen stays abstract until they have driven it for a day. A demo truck removes that hurdle: you feel how the vehicle drives, you see how long refuelling actually takes, and you can work out what it means for your planning and your payload.
We think this is a strong approach. Heavy transport that runs long days and needs to be back in service quickly is exactly the kind of work hydrogen suits. Having a station like Green Planet bring the vehicle, the fuel and the know-how together in one place makes the step considerably smaller for hauliers.
Sources
- Transport Online, Green Planet neemt MAN-waterstofdemotruck officieel in gebruik, 28 July 2026
- TTM.nl, BORK, Lubbers, Vredeveld en Zuidema proberen MAN hTGX van Green Planet uit
- MAN Truck & Bus Netherlands, MAN hTGX 6x2-trekker voor Green Planet
- MAN Netherlands, MAN hTGX: de waterstofvrachtwagen van MAN
