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Industry Leaders Seek to Accelerate Hydrogen Mobility, Truck Deployment in Europe

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Toyota Motor (TM) and seven industry partners unveiled plans Tuesday to accelerate hydrogen mobility in Europe, targeting scalable hydrogen truck deployment by 2030, Toyota Motor said in a statement Tuesday.

The group includes Volvo, Daimler Truck, Toyota Motor, Bosch, Air Liquide, TotalEnergies (TTE), TEAL Mobility and MB Energy, which aim to build a coordinated hydrogen value chain across Europe.

The companies view hydrogen as a complement to battery-electric vehicles for meeting European Union decarbonization goals, particularly in long-haul trucking and operations requiring high payloads and quick refueling.

Daimler Truck customers have driven almost 600,000 kilometers with fuel-cell trucks, and the firm plans to deliver 100 next-generation fuel-cell trucks to customers from late 2026.

It also plans to launch its first hydrogen combustion-engine trucks next year and expects to invest a mid-three-digit million-euro amount in hydrogen trucks by the end of the decade.

Volvo is developing both fuel-cell and hydrogen-combustion trucks for market rollout toward 2030, while Toyota will provide fuel-cell technology.

Bosch supplies key components for gaseous hydrogen vehicles, with its fuel-cell system having covered more than 30 million kilometers on roads, alongside refueling technologies for liquid and gaseous hydrogen.

Air Liquide, TotalEnergies, MB Energy and TEAL Mobility are working with the truck makers to expand liquid and gaseous hydrogen supply chains and develop stations capable of serving up to 100 trucks daily.

The companies said competitive hydrogen costs will require lower vehicle prices through incentives and production scale, diesel-competitive pump prices and operating support such as zero-emission toll exemptions.

Germany's NOW funding program has attracted over 70 high-capacity refueling stations and 800 heavy-duty truck applications, with demand exceeding available funding and highlighting logistics-sector interest.

The industry wants national governments and the European Commission to replicate Germany's model by coordinating vehicle and station funding, supporting Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation targets and improving hydrogen economics.

The companies also called for harmonized renewable fuel credit systems and toll incentives, along with measures that reduce risks across hydrogen production, liquefaction, distribution, and vehicle operations.

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