Toyota Motor Europe (TME) has announced it will establish local business operations for hydrogen-based products in Europe with the construction of a next generation fuel cell factory.
The Hydrogen Factory Europe will ensure a coordinated approach to the commercialisation of hydrogen technology and systems in the region, ranging from development and production to sales and aftersales.
The factory will be responsible for producing fuel cell systems and supporting a wade group of commercial partnerships, in line with Toyota’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040, 10 years ahead of the company’s global target.
The next generation Toyota fuel cell technology is expected to be commercialised in 2026, capable of longer lifecycles, increased vehicle driving range and significantly reduced costs.
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.”
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.
The company’s next generation fuel cell systems will deliver a higher power density and enable a 20% increase in driving range, with technical advances and increased production volumes are expected to help reduce costs by more than a third. First sales are scheduled for 2026.
Source: H2 View