Toyota Motor Europe inks deal to decarbonize its logistic routes
In Belgium, Toyota Motor Europe (TME) said it has joined forces with Dutch company VDL Groep (VDL) to break into the market of zero-emission heavy-duty hydrogen trucks in Europe, using Toyota’s fuel cell technology.
TME sees significant potential in using hydrogen trucks to decarbonize its logistic routes. The lower mass of hydrogen systems allows for heavier payload and the fast refueling of hydrogen is essential for transport with high utilization, the company said.
VDL Groep will build the first fuel cell truck by the summer of 2023, followed by more vehicles to be produced and assessed on TME logistics routes in the autumn of 2023. The project will consolidate learnings on how to deploy fuel cell trucks, further supporting the company’s long-term vision of decarbonizing logistics and reducing Toyota’s carbon footprint beyond the electrification of passenger vehicles.
“We are excited to begin this project with VDL Groep, as it will allow us to further decarbonize the long-haul transport of our components, vehicles and service parts. Heavy-duty trucks will remain an important pillar within our multimodal strategy, and the introduction of zero-emission trucks, equipped with our Toyota fuel cell modules, will have a strong impact on the overall carbon reduction of our logistics,” said Leon Van Der Merwe, VP Supply Chain Toyota Motor Europe.
Category: Hydrogen
