While most countries are setting their sights on hydrogen as the future of clean fuel, Sweden seems to be rewriting the script and that too without a hydrogen tank in sight. Could Sweden break the world from the hydrogen dream?
Swedish firms have been making groundbreaking innovations in the marine and freight transport sector by exploring the idea of hybrid systems that combine diesel and electricity. Swedish firms think that these two fuels merged may be the more immediate and scalable solution to decarbonization. Sweden is set to redefine what fuel means by exploring one water vessel and truck at a time.
More about Marell’s electric-diesel patrol boat
Sweden’s Marell Boats, in partnership with Scania, has created the M17, a diesel-electric hybrid patrol vessel that shows that performance and sustainability can go hand in hand. As opposed to popular belief, the M17 is not a lake cruiser, but one meant for performance. M17 was created to patrol coastlines at more than 50 knots while maintaining near silence at low speeds.
At the core of the M17 are Scania’s hybrid diesel-electric engines paired with MJP waterjets and powered by four 104kWh battery packs. These electric motors deliver torque of up to 2,000Nm per side, which can glide the boat at 8–10 knots in stealth mode. All this makes it valuable for law enforcement and military applications, particularly in cases where silent operations become essential. When raw speed is required, the 16-litre V8 diesel engines kick in automatically, delivering 1,150 hp per side, turning the M17 into a high-speed machine.
While power is one thing, this electric-diesel combo can be configured to run one engine as a generator, powering the other side electrically, cutting engine hours, enhancing efficiency, and reducing maintenance. This intelligent, self-managing hybrid system shows that electric and diesel fuels can co-exist and can outperform gasoline and traditional diesel boats completely.
Scania and DHL’s Road game-changer
Although Marells are transforming the seas, Scania and DHL are working to transform Europe’s highways. The launch in February 2025 saw the two companies coming up with an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) truck for parcel delivery between Berlin and Hamburg. This hybrid solution has been created for blending a 230kW electric motor with a 120kW fuel-powered generator which was initially petrol-based but designed so it could transition to diesel or Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).
With an approximate range of 650–800 km, this vehicle avoids the current limitations of EV charging networks while still enabling 80–90% of its route to be powered by renewable electricity. The internal generator replaces one of the battery packs and allows for refueling at conventional fuel stations, which is important for logistics operations where downtime is rather costly.
Scania CEO Christian Levin encapsulated the philosophy behind this technology, “The future is electric, but perfect must not be the enemy of good.” The EREV truck is not waiting for perfect infrastructure, it’s ready to deliver by offering over 80% CO₂ reduction compared to standard diesel trucks. China, like Sweden, is making advancements in improving EV technology with its Quark Electric Drive 2.0.
Why hybrid trumps hydrogen?
Although hydrogen has much promise as a long-term fuel, the catch is its infrastructure. Hydrogen refueling stations are sparse, and the fuel tends to be too expensive to produce, resulting in companies turning to black market hydrogen. The storage of hydrogen is also complex. On the other hand, hybrid diesel-electric systems use existing refueling infrastructure and mature battery technology to allow for instant climate benefits.
When combining both fuels, neither of which is gasoline, Sweden’s hybrids deliver real-world solutions for emissions reduction without the long waiting period for hydrogen scalability.
In both marine and freight sectors, Sweden isn’t chasing a hydrogen dream, it’s realizing the hybrid reality.
