Toyota Going All Zero on Hydrogen Buses and Heavy-Duty Trucks

After the hydrogen fuel cell sedan Mirai, among others, Toyota decided to extend the hydrogen-fueled vehicles concept to "buses, light commercial vehicles, and cars, with a further aim to accelerate the heavy-duty truck segment." Toyota can count on the agreement with CaetanoBus, based in Portugal and part of Toyota Caetano Portugal and Mitsui & Co.

The company revealed its desire for "closer cooperation in developing opportunities for hydrogen mobility projects in several European countries."

There are a number of areas Toyota aims to focus on: infrastructure connected to distribution and refuelling; low-carbon and renewable hydrogen production; and deploying hydrogen in a range of vehicle types.

Since 1992, Toyota has been developing fuel-cell vehicles like the Mirai, which launched in 2014. Such vehicles, according to the company, reject "nothing but water from the tailpipe".

Toyota was also involved in the development of the Sora bus and some other prototypes of heavy-duty trucks. Another project the company is working on is how to use hydrogen in internal combustion engines.

While some brands like BMW or Hyundai are following the same track, some of Toyota's competitors are completely against this idea.

For instance, Elon Musk stated that he did not believe in the new types of energy, tweeting "hydrogen fool sells makes no sense" in July 2020.

Herbert Diess, the CEO of Germany’s Volkswagen Group, had a similar opinion: "Green hydrogen is needed for steel, chemical, aero … and should not end up in cars. Far too expensive, inefficient, slow and difficult to roll out and transport. After all: no #hydrogen cars in sight."

It seems that these two companies would rather fight their current battle in the electric battery vehicle sector with GM and Ford.

Source : CNBC