TOYOTA

Company fuel cell modules in Hyliko trucks

The application of Toyota fuel cells in trucks expands the existing list of partners with whom Toyota Motor Europe (TME) cooperates in various sectors.

French start-up company Hyliko plans to use Toyota’s second-generation hydrogen fuel cell modules for installation in its heavy-duty, zero-emission trucks. This latest agreement in the truck development sector further expands Toyota’s numerous partnerships whereby Toyota provides its fuel cell technology for hydrogen solutions in various sectors, including trains, buses, generators and various marine applications.

A business group within Toyota Motor Europe (TME), called the Fuel Cell Business, plans to expand further into the increasingly diverse commercial vehicle sector to accelerate the growth of zero-emission hydrogen-based mobility. In particular, there are great opportunities for this when installing in trucks that transport 77 percent of cargo on European roads. In addition to the lower mass of hydrogen systems that also enable higher payloads, fast hydrogen charging is also necessary for heavy commercial transport with high efficiency. The ways in which commercial trucks are used and the provision of increasingly large quantities of the necessary hydrogen position them as key factors in the development of sustainable infrastructure.

Globally, Toyota is already working with multiple truck manufacturing partners working to integrate fuel cell technology into heavy-duty transportation. The ZANZEFF “Shore to Store” project in the US, which started back in 2019, recently proved that fuel cell electric trucks can deliver the same performance as diesel engines and provide a zero-emission alternative, ready for commercial deployment.

The partnership with Hyliko also marks another step towards TME’s vision of hydrogen ecosystems in Europe, stimulating both supply and demand to achieve a balanced business model. Given that hydrogen energy is a key pillar of the European energy strategy, TME prioritizes the expansion of different types of fuel cell applications in hydrogen ecosystems, thereby supporting their further progress. TME’s partnership strategy aims to develop synergies between different business sectors and supports communities that want to continue the expansion towards fully developed hydrogen solutions.

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