丰田在IAA交通展重申氢燃料电池转向商用车战略，展示2028年欧洲上市的Hilux燃料电池版及300kW重卡系统

HANOVER, Germany -- Japan's Toyota Motor is showing off its updated hydrogen fuel cell vehicle strategy at a trade show in Germany this week, putting a new focus on commercial vehicles as the industry grapples with a vexing negative feedback loop of high hydrogen prices, low uptake and limited refueling infrastructure.
At IAA Transportation, which opened on Monday, Toyota unveiled a fuel cell version of its Hilux light commercial truck that will launch in Europe in 2028.
The automaker also displayed a new fuel cell system. Designed for heavy-duty trucks, the unit has an output of 300 kilowatts, roughly on par with a diesel engine. The fuel cell system features improved durability, as well as a fuel efficiency that is around 20% higher than conventional systems.
Toyota's hydrogen strategy is built around two pillars: commercial vehicles and industry alliances. The next-generation fuel cell system sits at the heart of that strategy. The automaker plans to supply the system to commercial vehicle manufacturers around the world and build a broad hydrogen-powered trucking alliance.
"We'll steadily move forward step by step with the right partners, transitioning from the technology development stage to practical deployment in the real world," said Toyota Executive Vice President Hiroki Nakajima.
As of Monday, Toyota had announced partnerships with commercial vehicle makers Scania of Sweden and Iveco of Italy, both of which will adopt the new system. In July, Toyota also said it would invest in Cellcentric, a fuel cell joint venture owned by Germany's Daimler Truck and Sweden's Volvo Group, to work together on fuel cell development and production.
In passenger vehicles, Toyota launched the world's first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle, the Mirai, in 2014. In 2024, it announced plans to jointly develop systems for passenger vehicles with BMW and begin producing fuel cell vehicles in 2028.
The Japanese automaker is now shifting the focus of its hydrogen strategy toward commercial vehicles because of a longstanding chicken-and-egg-type challenge facing the sector.
The German Association of the Automotive Industry estimates that Europe will need about 2,000 hydrogen refueling stations for trucks by 2030. But at present, there are only 216 stations across Europe.
Limited infrastructure discourages adoption of fuel cell trucks, keeping hydrogen consumption low. This in turn keeps hydrogen prices high, slowing wider adoption and making it difficult to justify further investment in refueling networks.
"It is essential to build a hydrogen ecosystem by creating regional clusters of supply and demand and then gradually connecting them across entire countries," said Shinichi Yasui, chief technology officer of Toyota's European operations.
The number of fuel cell trucks in operation worldwide exceeded 35,000 vehicles in 2025, five times the level at the end of 2022, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). The worldwide stock of fuel cell vehicles, including passenger cars, reached about 130,000 units in 2025 and is projected to nearly triple by 2030.
BloombergNEF forecasts that fuel cell trucks will account for only about 5% of global truck sales in 2040. At the same time, the IEA estimates that trucks will represent 60% of hydrogen consumption in the automobile sector by 2030, while buses will account for 30%, underscoring the central role commercial vehicles are expected to play in driving hydrogen demand.
The EU has led in hydrogen development, accounting for 28% of patent applications from 2011 to 2020, according to a study by the IEA and the European Patent Office. Japan was second at 24%, followed by the U.S. with 20%.
EU players also stood out at the trade show in Germany. Daimler showcased a heavy-duty liquid-hydrogen truck with a range of over 1,000 km, and Volvo said it would launch a hydrogen truck by 2030.
But China accounts for over 95% of such vehicles in operation as hydrogen sees real-world uptake in the country. Chinese manufacturers had an overwhelming presence at the show, with several large booths in the country's dedicated space, which was expanded by 50%.