Toyota, Coca-Cola, Air Liquide pilot hydrogen-fueled trucks for European supply chain

Toyota and Coca-Cola have joined hands to test a new hydrogen-powered truck that will be used as part of the beverage company's supply operations in Europe, Toyota announced.

Air Liquide, a leader in the production and distribution of low-carbon and green hydrogen is supplying green hydrogen for the project, the automaker said in a press release.

Toyota's hydrogen-powered trucks utilize fuel cell modules. These cells combine hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) molecules into water while simultaneously generating electricity that is used by the vehicle. As a result, the only tailpipe emission from the vehicle is water.

In its release, Toyota noted that the collaboration highlighted "the significance of concurrent development of both vehicles and infrastructure to foster a more sustainable society.

"Through these hydrogen truck projects, Toyota intends to support the decarbonization of heavy-duty road transport, which accounts for a quarter of European freight transport based on tonne-kilometers performed. Commercial trucks' usage patterns and their demand for large volumes of hydrogen position them as key contributors in developing sustainable hydrogen infrastructures," the company said.

Eric Desbonnets, Vice President Paris 2024 Operations and Sustainability, Coca-Cola, said: "We are pleased to partner with Toyota and Air Liquide to test hydrogen solutions for our long-distance logistics operations. We want to learn from this experience as we continue to work towards reducing our carbon footprint."

Erwin Penfornis, Vice President Hydrogen Energy World Business Line, Air Liquide, said the project would "demonstrate the relevance of hydrogen for heavy-duty mobility", saying, "With a growing call for products with low-carbon transportation footprint, hydrogen is particularly well-suited to long-distance transportation, providing flexibility and productivity."

Thiebault Paquet, Vice President R&D, Toyota Motor Europe: "We are expanding the use of our Toyota Fuel Cell Module beyond passenger cars into trucks, buses, coaches, trains, boats, near-shore and short-sea vessels, stationary generators, and so on… The insights gained from these proof-of-concepts will serve as crucial milestones on our path toward achieving zero tailpipe carbon emissions in our logistics operations by 2040."