Toyota Hydrogen Factory to scale up its European activities

• Hydrogen Factory Europe to further grow Toyota hydrogen business and stimulate a wider roll-out of hydrogen eco-systems and infrastructure across Europe
• Hydrogen is a key contributor to achieving Toyota’s goal of becoming a carbon-neutral business in Europe by 2040
• Toyota fuel cell systems being adopted in a wide variety of mobility applications, from passenger cars to light-duty vehicles, heavy-duty trucks, coaches and ships
• Next generation Toyota fuel cell technology to be commercialised in 2026, offering longer lifecycles, increased vehicle driving range and significantly reduced costs

Toyota Motor Europe (TME) is to establish a local business operation, the Hydrogen Factory Europe, ensuring a co-ordinated approach to the commercialisation of hydrogen technology and systems in the region – spanning everything from development and production, through to sales and aftersales.

The Hydrogen Factory will be responsible for producing an increasing number of fuel cell systems and supporting a widening group of commercial partnerships, in line with the company’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040, 10 years ahead of Toyota’s global target.

Toyota expects Europe to be one of the world’s largest hydrogen fuel cell markets by 2030, with steady acceleration of different mobility and power generation applications. Growing investment and regulatory measures are encouraging development and market growth. These include €45 billion investment from the European Commission’s Green Deal by 2027 and an award of €284 million from the EU’s transport infrastructure fund – approximately one third of its budget – for the installation of hydrogen refuelling stations.

The recent confirmation of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII) requires 42 per cent of hydrogen used by industry in Europe to be derived from sustainable sources by 2030. Along with the plans to build hydrogen filling stations at minimum 200km intervals along the region’s TEN-T (trans-European Transport Network) corridors, Europe is positioning itself at the centre of hydrogen technology.

Thiebault Paquet, TME Vice President and Head of Fuel Cell Business, said: “Europe is showing long-term confidence in hydrogen and so are we. We will continue to develop fuel cell passenger cars and other light duty vehicles while we have broadened our focus towards heavy-duty transport to support the expansion of viable hydrogen infrastructure. We aim to further develop and learn through testing in our own network and with partners who share our approach.”

A growing spectrum of mobility applications

Toyota introduced the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell saloon, Mirai, in 2015. Second generation fuel cell technology debuted in a new Mirai model launched in 2020 and was also featured in the all-new Toyota Crown in Japan earlier this year, reaffirming the company’s commitment to hydrogen-fuelled passenger vehicles.

Fuel cell electric passenger cars offer the benefits of a long driving range and quick refuelling, and under that premise, Toyota is further broadening its exploration towards light duty FCEVs. Earlier this year, the first hydrogen-fuelled Hilux FCEV Prototype pick-up was unveiled. Produced by a Toyota-led consortium in the UK, the prototype demonstrates how a fuel cell might be incorporated in a pick-up. Thanks to hydrogen being light in weight, light duty FCEVs can offer higher payload and towing capabilities compared to other zero emission alternatives.

Toyota has also been integrating its fuel cell technology into heavy-duty transport applications for some years now and has recently entered the strategic truck market in Europe with hydrogen-fuelled trucks from the French manufacturer Hyliko and the Netherlands-based VDL Groep. Toyota will be using the hydrogen-fuelled VDL trucks to decarbonise its own logistics operations. The company is also expanding its partnership with Corvus in Norway for future marine applications. Furthermore, French clean mobility company GCK will use Toyota’s fuel cell modules to convert diesel coaches to zero-emission hydrogen vehicles.

The next generation

Building on its extensive experience, Toyota is developing next generation hydrogen fuel cell technology that is expected to deliver industry leading performance through longer lifecycles and reduced costs. The new fuel cell technology, scheduled for sales in 2026, will deliver a higher power density. The new fuel cell system is expected to enable a 20 per cent increase in driving range, whereas technical advances and increased production volumes are expected to help reduce costs by more than a third. Further research is also looking at the potential of scalable fuel cell stacks with different power outputs and design of fuel tanks with complex shapes, compatible with different size vehicles.

ENDS