Hydrogen lifts truck spirits

TOYOTA has unveiled its hydrogen strategy which is aimed at the commercial vehicle market and, after partnering with two global truck makers, said it will continue building alliances with other automotive manufacturers.

At the IAA Transportation trade show in Germany last week, Toyota showed a fuel-cell version of its Hilux ute to be launched in Europe in 2028.

It also showed a new fuel-cell system designed for heavy-duty trucks which has an output of 300kW, about the same as a diesel engine.

The new fuel-cell system is claimed by Toyota to have improved durability and fuel efficiency that is 20 per cent above that of conventional systems.

At the trade show, Toyota said that the key to its future in hydrogen was its next-generation fuel-cell system that it plans to supply to global commercial vehicle manufacturers.

In building the supply chain to other truck makers, Toyota said it would then create a broad hydrogen-powered trucking alliance.

The chief technology officer of Toyota in Europe, Shinichi Yasui, told Asia Nikkei that: “It is essential to build a hydrogen ecosystem by creating regional clusters of supply and demand and then gradually connecting them across entire countries”.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that the number of fuel-cell trucks in operation worldwide exceeded 35,000 vehicles in 2025, five times the level at the end of 2022.

The IEA also said that the global number of fuel-cell vehicles, including passenger cars, reached about 130,000 units in 2025 and is projected to nearly triple by 2030.

BloombergNEF forecasts that fuel-cell trucks will account for only about 5 per cent of global truck sales in 2040. 

At the same time, the IEA estimates that trucks will represent 60 per cent of hydrogen consumption in the automobile sector by 2030, while buses will account for 30 per cent, underscoring the central role commercial vehicles are expected to play in driving hydrogen demand.

The EU has led in hydrogen development, accounting for 28 per cent of patent applications from 2011 to 2020, according to a study by the IEA and the European Patent Office. 

Japan was second at 24 per cent, followed by the US with 20 per cent.

Toyota wasn’t alone in showing fuel-cell units for trucks at the IAA Transportation trade show.

European truck makers showed their interest in hydrogen with Daimler displaying a heavy-duty liquid-hydrogen truck with a range of over 1000 km, and Volvo said it would launch a hydrogen truck by 2030.

Then there’s China. Asia Nikkei noted that China accounted for more than 95 per cent of such vehicles in operation as hydrogen sees real-world uptake in the country. 

Chinese manufacturers had an overwhelming presence at the German show, with several large booths in the country’s dedicated space, which was expanded by 50 per cent.

The moves are seen as encouraging by Toyota. Asia Nikkei reported Toyota executive vice president Hiroki Nakajima as saying: “We’ll steadily move forward step by step with the right partners, transitioning from the technology development stage to practical deployment in the real world”.

Toyota recently announced partnerships with commercial vehicle makers Scania of Sweden and Iveco of Italy, both of which will adopt the new fuel-cell system. 

This follows announcements in July where Toyota said it would invest in Cellcentric, a fuel-cell joint venture owned by Daimler Truck and Sweden’s Volvo Group. The investment would lead fuel-cell development and production.It also said it would continue developing hydrogen power units for passenger vehicles. Toyota launched the world’s first mass-produced fuel-cell vehicle, the Mirai, in 2014. 

In 2024, it announced it would jointly develop systems for passenger vehicles with BMW and begin producing fuel-cell vehicles in 2028.

But now, Toyota said it is shifting the focus of its hydrogen strategy toward commercial vehicles “because of a longstanding chicken-and-egg-type challenge facing the sector”, Asia Nikkei reported.

One of the challenges is the infrastructure. The German Association of the Automotive Industry has estimated that Europe will need about 2000 hydrogen refueling stations for trucks by 2030. It now has 216 stations across Europe.

Asia Nikkei said that limited infrastructure discouraged adoption of fuel-cell trucks, keeping hydrogen consumption low.

This in turn keeps hydrogen prices high, slowing wider adoption and making it difficult to justify further investment in refueling networks.

Meanwhile, Volvo Trucks this week has won International Truck of the Year 2027 for its electric range, including Volvo FH, FM, FMX Electric, and FH Aero Electric. 

The International Truck of the Year organisation, which started in Europe in 1977, said Volvo’s new electric range offered increased range, improved payload, and reduced charging time compared to previous models. 

It is designed for demanding regional and long-haul transport, city distribution, construction, and utility work.