Recently, a fleet of brand-new hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks slowly drove out of the intelligent commercial vehicle manufacturing workshop of Dongfeng Liuzhou Motor Co., Ltd. (DFLZM). The spring sun shone on their red bodies, making the eye-catching “Chenglong” logo shine brightly. Qiu Li, Product Manager for Light Trucks & Hydrogen Fuel Products at DFLZM, gently stroked the truck body with pride in his voice: “What you are seeing is not just a new truck, but a ‘wealth-building vehicle’ rooted in the national energy strategy that empowers people to increase their income!”
DFLZM has laid out hydrogen energy as a core segment alongside fuel, gas and pure electric power. It completed the R&D of core technologies for hydrogen fuel trucks as early as 2022, has accumulated massive practical operation data, and realized scenario-based applications across full platforms including light-duty, medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks. With curiosity, the reporters walked into DFLZM’s intelligent commercial vehicle final assembly production line, to explore how this leading auto enterprise in Liuzhou, with over 70 years of in-depth engagement in the commercial vehicle sector, solves industry pain points with cutting-edge innovation and builds a solid foundation for truck drivers to create wealth with its market reputation.
“Don’t be fooled by the similar appearance of this hydrogen heavy-duty truck and ordinary heavy-duty trucks. The technological innovation inside is all ‘real expertise’,” said Ping Yan, an engineer at DFLZM R&D Institute, as he squatted down and tapped the neatly arranged hydrogen storage cylinders.
Opening the hood, the neatly arranged hydrogen fuel cell system was particularly eye-catching. “Every innovation we make is centered around the goal of’spend less, earn more’,” Ping Yan introduced as he tapped the fuel cell stack. The power output of this fuel cell ranges from 200kW to 300kW, with a rated power as high as 300kW—twice the mainstream industry level.
The service life of the fuel cell stack has exceeded 30,000 hours, equivalent to a driving range of 1.2 million kilometers, which is 50% higher than the industry average. This greatly reduces the total lifecycle operating cost for truck drivers,” Ping Yan said excitedly.
These remarkable technologies were honed by the R&D team in extreme environments. “Last winter, we were based in Mohe, in the -30℃ frigid zone. We climbed into the cab to debug before dawn every day, and never stopped even when our fingers were stiff from the cold,” Ping Yan recalled. The team finally achieved auxiliary-free cold start under the -30℃ extreme cold condition, with a range attenuation rate of less than 10%. This completely solved the low-temperature cold start challenge, enabling hydrogen trucks to operate across north and south China throughout the four seasons.
“Truck drivers go into transport for one core goal: to haul more cargo,” Ping Yan said as he opened the door of the hydrogen truck and invited the reporters into the cab. The user-friendly console and spacious back seat were all designed to fit the habits of long-haul drivers. Pointing to the weight mark on the door, he said the team had visited more than 20 cities and over 50 logistics enterprises to target and solve the pain point of “heavy curb weight leading to low cargo capacity”. Through self-developed deep integration technology, high-strength steel frames and aluminum alloy components, the vehicle’s curb weight is 200-500 kg lighter than the industry average. “On the logistics route from Liuzhou to Shenzhen, under compliant load conditions, drivers can haul several tons more cargo and earn tens of thousands of yuan more every year. This is the most intuitive embodiment of ‘easy to use and profitable’,” Ping Yan said frankly.
Profitability matters, and safety matters even more. Ping Yan pressed hard on the cab frame: “This is our exclusive ‘dragon bone’ frame cab, welded with high-strength steel beams and paired with double-layer anti-collision beams, just like a safety cabin for drivers.” He explained that this structure can not only protect drivers, but also effectively shield the hydrogen cylinder assembly and fuel cell stack in the event of a collision, fundamentally avoiding the risk of hydrogen leakage.
Addressing the public’s widespread concerns about hydrogen safety, Qiu Li said calmly that DFLZM’s hydrogen trucks currently use safe gaseous hydrogen storage and are in the process of upgrading to liquid hydrogen storage. Relying on the company’s years of experience in high-pressure cylinder manufacturing, the dedicated hydrogen cylinders have passed extreme tests including impact, puncture and fire, with safety standards higher than ordinary cylinders. The products have passed both domestic and international certifications, with zero accidents and zero hidden dangers since mass launch. Coupled with the closed-loop management of strict national regulations, the entire process is safe and controllable.
Cutting-edge technology naturally drives booming market performance. Qiu Li said with excitement: “In November 2024, on the occasion of DFLZM’s 70th anniversary, our first hydrogen heavy-duty truck, the Chenglong H7 PRO, officially made its debut. This marked a new breakthrough in the company’s R&D of hydrogen heavy-duty trucks and ushered in a new stage of large-scale R&D and production. In 2025, our delivery volume exceeded 1,800 units, securing the top position in the industry in terms of market share, and our current orders are already scheduled for the second half of the year.”
During the interview, Qiu Li opened his mobile phone, and the 2026 national hydrogen energy comprehensive application pilot notice released in March this year was particularly prominent. It stated that hydrogen heavy-duty trucks are “moving from demonstration to mass production, from pilot to commercial application”. The country has clearly set a goal to double the number of fuel cell vehicles in operation by 2030 compared with 2025, and has rolled out policies such as “reward subsidies in lieu of direct appropriations” and “highway toll reductions and exemptions”, bringing a strong industry boom.
Qiu Li introduced that DFLZM’s hydrogen heavy-duty trucks have long become the main force in scenarios such as logistics, mining and ports. On the “hydrogen corridor” of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor in Western China, their cumulative operating mileage has reached 30 million kilometers; at Fuyuan Coal Mine in Yunnan Province, the round-trip cost under heavy load is lower than that of pure electric heavy-duty trucks; and in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei trunk logistics market, batch orders have been successively signed and delivered.
Talking about the future, Qiu Li is full of confidence. DFLZM is upgrading from “fuel-to-hydrogen conversion” to a “native hydrogen-electric platform”, and advancing the evolution of hydrogen storage technology from gaseous to liquid. The company plans to achieve parity in the purchase cost of hydrogen fuel vehicles and pure electric vehicles within 5 years, with a daily output of 100 units and an annual output of over 30,000 units, making the total lifecycle cost of hydrogen heavy-duty trucks lower than that of diesel trucks.
Hydrogen energy is not a replacement for any single energy source, but a key link to complete the country’s long-term energy storage system. Rooted in Liuzhou’s profound industrial foundation, DFLZM takes the workshop as an examination room, technology as the answer sheet, and people’s wellbeing as the core. It transforms new quality productive forces into development momentum, enabling the hydrogen heavy-duty trucks manufactured by Liuzhou’s intelligent industry to soar with the power of hydrogen. Closely linked to both the country’s overall industrial development and the wealth-building dreams of thousands of truck drivers, thesE Trucks will achieve steady and long-term growth in the green freight sector.
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