Toyota has started testing a new H₂-powered truck together with Coca-Cola as part of the beverage company’s supply operations. The H₂-powered truck utilizes Toyota fuel cell modules which combine H₂ (H₂) and oxygen (O₂) molecules into water while simultaneously generating electricity. As a result, the only tailpipe emission is water. Moreover, fast refueling ensures high utilization rates.

Air Liquide, a leader in the production and distribution of low-carbon and renewable H₂, supplies H₂ from renewable origin for this project. This collaboration highlights the significance of concurrent development of both vehicles and infrastructure to foster a more sustainable society.

Through these H₂ truck projects, Toyota intends to support the decarbonization of heavy-duty road transport, which accounts for a quarter of European freight transport based on ton-kilometers performed. Commercial trucks’ usage patterns and their demand for large volumes of H₂ position them as key contributors in developing sustainable H₂ infrastructures.

This latest collaboration again illustrates Toyota’s objective of supporting and contributing to the establishment of Carbon Neutral societies as much as possible in Europe and beyond.

“We are pleased to partner with Toyota and Air Liquide to test H₂ solutions for our long-distance logistics operations. We want to learn from this experience as we continue to work towards reducing our carbon footprint,” said Eric Desbonnets, Vice President Paris 2024 Operations and Sustainability, Coca-Cola.

“Air Liquide shares the same ambition as Coca-Cola and Toyota: implementing concrete solutions to meet the challenge of climate change. This project is part of such an approach and will demonstrate the relevance of H₂ for heavy-duty mobility. With a growing call for products with low-carbon transportation footprint, H₂ is particularly well-suited to long-distance transportation, providing flexibility and productivity,” said Erwin Penfornis, Vice President H₂ Energy World Business Line, Air Liquide.

“To help speed up the expansion of H₂ technology implementation in our society, we are expanding the use of our Toyota Fuel Cell Module beyond passenger cars into trucks, buses, coaches, trains, boats, near-shore and short-sea vessels, stationary generators, and so on. It is a great pleasure to collaborate with like-minded partners and demonstrate our shared vision of sustainable mobility. The insights gained from this proof of concepts will serve as crucial milestones on our path toward achieving zero tailpipe carbon emissions in our logistics operations by 2040,” said Thiebault Paquet, Vice President R&D, Toyota Motor Europe.