New partnership: Toyota wants to expand the hydrogen ecosystem

Toyota, Air Liquide and Caetano aim to leverage their complementary expertise to cover the entire hydrogen mobility value chain. (Photo: Toyota)

According to Toyota, they want to enhance local hydrogen ecosystems for various mobility applications and contribute to the decarbonization of traffic. To this end, the OEM is developing with the French manufacturer of technical gases Air Liquide and the Portuguese Bus manufacturer Caetano integrated solutions, infrastructure systems and fleet vehicles for the growing use of alternative driving technology in light and heavy commercial vehicles. The three partners will use their complementary expertise to cover the entire value chain of the hydrogen movement – from green hydrogen production to distribution and refueling infrastructure for use in various vehicle sectors.

According to Toyota, the focus is initially on buses, light commercial vehicles and passenger cars, and in the future it is planned to expand into heavy commercial vehicles. According to Toyota, new hydrogen ecosystems across Europe are spurring demand and making hydrogen more accessible for other mobility applications. In addition to proper infrastructure and gas stations, integrated vehicle offerings (leasing and service) are important to clients such as taxi companies, fleet operators and local authorities. By integrating different applications and projects into an ecosystem where supply and demand meet, a virtuous cycle is created that will enable the further development of the entire hydrogen infrastructure.

Toyota is heavily involved in hydrogen fuel cells and has already launched one The second generation of its fuel cell car Mirai. The company only announced in March A new development in the field of hydrogen storage. The current partnership provides an opportunity to advance the development of hydrogen assemblies and accelerate and intensify the use of hydrogen as a carbon-neutral solution to mobility, says Matt Harrison, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation. Europe adds:This will gradually reduce the cost of hydrogen and its infrastructure while improving the business case for many future applications including mobility.“