The decarbonisation of the commercial vehicle market has been decided. However, the servicing of hydrogen-powered drives is only just beginning. This is precisely where the new cooperation comes in: between Alltrucksthe premium multi-brand workshop concept for commercial vehicles, and REFIRE, a leading international provider of hydrogen fuel cell technologies. The two companies launched a strategic partnership on 1 April. The aim is to prepare qualified workshops for servicing hydrogen fuel cells in lorries and to provide fleet customers with a reliable service network.
The logic behind this is clear: emission-free drive technology is only viable on the market if after-sales grows with it. This is because the range, availability and service life of a hydrogenTruck depend on the service as much as on the fuel cell itself. This is why the co-operation is building up the service network at an early stage, parallel to the market launch of the vehicles. It thus becomes part of the market infrastructure.
The core fact of the co-operation: Alltrucks identifies partner workshops and integrates them operationally. REFIRE then authorises the qualified workshops. REFIRE also provides technical documentation, training and a multi-level after-sales structure. This gives workshops and fleet operators access to one of the key technologies of the future in the commercial vehicle sector.
Who is REFIRE
REFIRE develops and produces hydrogen fuel cell systems for emission-free mobility and energy applications. The focus here is on applications in which battery electric drives reach their range or load limits: heavier Commercial vehicles, long-distance transport and energy-intensive stationary applications. The company is one of the leading international providers in this segment. It is also driving forward decarbonisation, particularly in the commercial vehicle sector.
For the workshop market, this means that REFIRE components and systems will be integrated into more and more vehicle platforms over the coming years. Any workshop that opens up access to service qualification today will be ready for the first maintenance and repair cycles. Otherwise, they will lose them to specialised third-party providers.
What the Kooperation Werkstätten offers
As part of the partnership, Alltrucks identifies suitable workshops within its network. These workshops can then qualify to service REFIRE technologies. The selection process is based on clear criteria: existing high-voltage and high-pressure expertise, suitable workshop infrastructure, qualified personnel and a willingness to invest in an upgrade. Whoever Investment planning for emission-free drives has a structural advantage here.
REFIRE then authorises qualified workshops. They are also given access to three modules: technical information, comprehensive documentation and defined service requirements. In addition, product training courses ensure that workshops can carry out maintenance and repair work professionally. This applies from routine maintenance to interventions on the fuel cell system itself.
Concrete modules at a glance
- Authorisation by REFIRE - visible status and contractual basis for the service of REFIRE systems.
- Technical documentation - Documents for maintenance scopes, diagnostics and repair steps.
- Product training - Theory and practice on the system, supplemented by safety and high-voltage topics.
- Defined service requirements - binding standards for workshop equipment and processes.
- Access to the after-sales structure - Technical hotline and on-site escalation for complex cases.
Qualification and authorisation process
The integration of a workshop into the REFIRE service network follows a defined process. Alltrucks assumes the central role of operational support. This ranges from the identification of suitable partners and coordination with REFIRE to the productive launch of service operations. This keeps the costs on the workshop side calculable.
Identification and preliminary inspection
Alltrucks first identifies partner workshops with a suitable profile: existing high-voltage and high-pressure expertise, suitable infrastructure, qualified personnel. A preliminary check then clarifies which requirements are already met and which the workshop still needs to establish.
Coordination with REFIRE
Alltrucks then coordinates the details with REFIRE: Which services does the company provide? What documentation is required? Which training dates are realistic? This provides the workshop with a structured schedule.
Product training and qualification
The workshop personnel then complete the defined product training courses. The content of the programme covers fuel cell basics, safety topics, diagnostics and repair procedures. Building on high-voltage qualifications, it also supplements the specialised hydrogen knowledge.
Authorisation and workshop setup
After successful training and proven workshop equipment, formal authorisation is finally granted by REFIRE. The workshop then receives access to the technical documentation and is integrated into the after-sales structure.
Operational service launch
The workshop then carries out maintenance and repair work on REFIRE systems. The technical hotline is available for more complex issues. In special cases, REFIRE experts also come directly to the site.
Technical documentation and training
The service quality of a new drive technology stands and falls with the substance of the documentation. How quickly workshop personnel can familiarise themselves with complex systems is just as important. This is why REFIRE provides qualified workshops with technical information and comprehensive documentation. The co-operation thus covers the area in which independent workshops are otherwise often left to their own devices when it comes to new manufacturer platforms.
The product training courses are the second element: they translate the knowledge from the documentation into practical skills on the system. This includes depth of intervention, diagnostic routines, safety rules for handling hydrogen and high-voltage components as well as defined maintenance scopes. The content follows the requirements of fuel cell technology. Workshops working in parallel on the electrified workshop set-up The company's employees also benefit from the common safety and qualification logic.
Hydrogen service is not a stand-alone topic. Pursuing the high-voltage development for battery-electric lorries in parallel creates a common qualification and safety basis. Training budgets can also be pooled in this way. The sequence follows the vehicle availability in your own customer base.
Multi-level after-sales structure
A central pillar of the cooperation is the multi-level after-sales structure. REFIRE builds it up in parallel to the workshop qualification. This means that the depth of service is tailored to the respective issue. In addition, workshops do not have to maintain their own specialised capacities for every special case.
The structure follows a clear logic: the qualified workshops in the Alltrucks network initially take care of daily service and maintenance. For more complex issues, a technical hotline is then available to provide diagnostic support and repair advice. If a case requires further analysis, specialised REFIRE experts are also deployed directly on site. They identify causes and implement solutions.
"In parallel, REFIRE is establishing a multi-level after-sales structure that ensures end-to-end service support. While the workshops take care of day-to-day service and maintenance, a technical hotline is available for more complex issues. In cases that require further analysis, specialised experts are deployed directly on site."- Alltrucks editorial team in cooperation with REFIRE
For the individual company, this means that responsibility for the lifting platform remains clear and plannable. On the other hand, the company only requests special depth when it needs it instead of having it permanently available. This division of labour is therefore an important lever for economically viable servicing of a drive technology that is still in its infancy.
What will change for fleet customers
For fleet operators, the cooperation has a concrete consequence: anyone who wants to use hydrogen-powered Truck integrated into the vehicle fleet, has access to a comprehensive, qualified service network.
This is because the combination of an established workshop network and leading fuel cell technology provides a service framework that grows with the market launch of the vehicles.
This point is central to the total cost of ownership calculation for hydrogen fuel cells in lorries: only when the service life and maintenance logistics can keep up with diesel drives will the fuel cell become viable in the fleet calculation.
- Workshops: Check profile - document existing high-voltage and high-pressure expertise, check staffing levels and workshop equipment, contact the Alltrucks technical team.
- Workshops: Training and investment plan in the medium term Investment planning for emission-free drives integrate.
- Fleets: Compare hydrogen truck roadmap with the regional Alltrucks partner - where are authorised service points along your own routes?
- Both sides: Early dialogue saves escalations later on; service set-up and vehicle introduction should be dovetailed.
Strategic importance - service as a lever for decarbonisation
The partnership between Alltrucks and REFIRE addresses an often underestimated bottleneck in the market for zero-emission trucks. Commercial vehicles. Acceptance and scaling are not only determined by the drive technology itself, but also by the end-to-end service. A fuel cell without a comprehensive service network remains an isolated solution. A fuel cell with qualified workshops within reach, on the other hand, becomes part of everyday fleet operations.
For garages, the cooperation opens up direct access to a future field with growing market relevance. They also benefit from structured processes, technical support and the opportunity to further develop their service portfolio in the direction of emission-free drive technologies. This closes the loop: a service cooperation that starts today is the basis for ensuring that decarbonisation in the commercial vehicle market does not fail tomorrow because of the workshop.
Alltrucks' claim is clearly formulated in this partnership: To actively accompany garages through the technological change in the commercial vehicle market and offer them concrete solutions and prospects. REFIRE provides the technology and after-sales depth, Alltrucks the reach and operational integration. Together, the two sides provide what the market needs for successful hydrogen scaling.