Air Liquide, Toyota and CaetanoBus to develop hydrogen mobility in Europe
Initially, the focus will be on buses, light commercial vehicles and cars, aiming to accelerate the heavy-duty truck segment.
Air Liquide, CaetanoBus and Toyota Motor Europe have signed an MoU to develop integrated hydrogen solutions.
This will include infrastructure development and vehicle fleets to accelerate the expansion of hydrogen mobility for both light and heavy-duty vehicles. The partnership reflects the shared ambition of the three partners to contribute to decarbonizing transport and accelerate the development of local hydrogen ecosystems for multiple mobility applications.
The three companies will use their complementary expertise to address the entire value chain of hydrogen mobility, ranging from renewable or low-carbon hydrogen production, distribution and refuelling infrastructure, and the deployment of different vehicle segments.
By exploring joint opportunities, the three major players of hydrogen mobility will contribute to the emergence of new hydrogen ecosystems across Europe, a key step to stimulate the demand and facilitate hydrogen access for other mobility applications. This includes the infrastructure and refuelling stations and integrated vehicle offers (leasing and service) to customers such as taxi companies, fleet operators, local authorities, and others.
Integrating different applications and projects within a hydrogen ecosystem, where supply and demand meet, will enable the overall hydrogen infrastructure to mature further. This initiative represents another step along the path of decarbonization, which is consistent with the stronger focus from European governments and the readiness of hydrogen technologies.
Matthieu Giard, VP of Air Liquide, said, “This partnership illustrates the capacity of the industry to bring concrete solutions to the fight against climate change.”
Matt Harrison, President and CEO at Toyota Motor Europe, commented, “Toyota’s role is to bring the hydrogen applications into the ecosystem, and by working together with our partners we want to accelerate and intensify the use of hydrogen as a carbon neutral solution for mobility. This will gradually reduce the costs of hydrogen and its infrastructure while improving the business case for many future applications including mobility“
Patrícia Vasconcelos, CEO of CaetanoBus, added, “We are aware of the responsibility of the mobility sector in this mission and our goal as a bus manufacturer is to continuously develop new hydrogen buses, to reduce the carbon footprint in the cities.”
