8:38 am, May 18, 2022
Toyota has signed an agreement with Air Liquide and CaetanoBus to help develop hydrogen systems in Europe.
Under the memorandum of understanding, it will work with the France-based industrial gases and technology firm and Portuguese bus and chassis manufacturer to ‘accelerate the expansion of hydrogen mobility for both light and heavy-duty vehicles’.
The trio will ‘address the entire value chain of hydrogen mobility’, ranging from the renewable or low-carbon production of hydrogen right the way through to refuelling infrastructure.
The focus will initially be on cars, buses and LCVs, although hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks are said to be part of future development plans.
Toyota is one of two brands that offers a hydrogen-powered vehicle in the UK with its Mirai, pictured above. The other is Hyundai’s Nexo.
Both vehicles use stored hydrogen to generate electrical energy through a fuel cell. Currently, there are 14 hydrogen filling stations open to the public in the UK.
Matt Harrison, president and CEO at Toyota Motor Europe, said: ‘We are excited by the opportunity to combine our strengths to expand the development of hydrogen clusters.
‘Toyota’s role is to bring the hydrogen applications into the ecosystem, and by working together with our partners, we want to accelerate and intensify the use of hydrogen as a carbon-neutral solution for mobility.’
Matthieu Giard, vice-president of Air Liquide, said: ‘As a key solution to reduce CO2 emissions of the mobility sector, low-carbon hydrogen is a crucial enabler of the energy transition. Air Liquide is pleased to partner with Toyota and CaetanoBus.’
Patrícia Vasconcelos, CEO of CaetanoBus, added: ‘It is a great pleasure to work on hydrogen projects with these partners and have the chance to reinforce the role of new forms of energy in the pursuit of a sustainable way of living.’
