Toyota joins Daimler and Volvo in hydrogen fuel cell alliance

Competition in the global hydrogen commercial vehicle market is intensifying as major manufacturers and governments accelerate efforts to build hydrogen ecosystems. Toyota has entered a binding agreement to acquire a 33.3% stake in Cellcentric, a hydrogen fuel cell joint venture between Daimler Truck and Volvo Group. Through this partnership, Toyota will provide core fuel cell technologies, including cells, materials, and stacks, to accelerate the mass production of large-scale commercial vehicle components.

Governments are also implementing aggressive policies to support hydrogen infrastructure. China aims to deploy 100,000 hydrogen electric vehicles by 2030 and is developing hydrogen highways for long-distance logistics. Japan is pursuing a ‘hydrogen aorta’ plan to deploy 1,500 hydrogen commercial vehicles on major arterial routes over the next decade. Meanwhile, the European Union is enforcing strict CO2 emission reduction targets for heavy-duty vehicles and mandating hydrogen refueling stations at 200km intervals along its core transport networks by 2030.

Hyundai Motor Company remains a key player, leveraging its experience with the XCIENT Fuel Cell truck, which has accumulated over 27 million km of global operation. However, industry experts note that the competitive focus is shifting from vehicle development to the establishment of comprehensive ecosystems, including charging, maintenance, and operational infrastructure.