Toyota has become an equal shareholder in hydrogen fuel cell venture Cellcentric, alongside Daimler Truck and Volvo.
Cellcentric was established by Daimler and Volvo in 2021, with the aim of becoming a leading global manufacturer of fuel cells.
The three companies have now signed a binding agreement for Toyota to join the venture.
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Toyota and Cellcentric plan to jointly manage the development and production of fuel cell unit cells – the core component of fuel cell systems – and directly linked architecture and control elements. The stated aim is to create competitive products based on the technologies of both companies.
The partners say that by combining Daimler and Volvo’s commercial vehicle expertise with Toyota’s background in fuel cells, they will be able to develop, produce and commercialise fuel cell systems for heavy-duty on- and off-road transport and other heavy-duty applications with comparable requirements. They also aim to actively support the development of hydrogen supply and infrastructure.
‘World-leading’ HGV fuel cell systems planned
Koji Sato, president and CEO at Toyota, said: “We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to soon be joining Daimler Truck and Volvo Group as partners in building a hydrogen society.
“Cellcentric, which possess deep expertise in commercial fields together with Toyota’s over 30 years of fuel cell development in the passenger car sector, can combine their strengths to deliver one of the world-leading fuel cell systems for heavy commercial vehicles.
“Toyota will continue to contribute to realising a hydrogen society alongside like-minded partners.”
Karin Rådström, president and CEO at Daimler Truck, said: “We are proud that Toyota plans to join Cellcentric as a shareholder. This will enable us to strengthen development and further scale hydrogen technology, which we believe complements battery-electric drives in decarbonising transport.”
Martin Lundstedt, president and CEO at Volvo Group. said: “We are thrilled to explore this collaboration with Toyota, so that we through Cellcentric can accelerate and create critical mass for hydrogen applications.
“This is an important signal to customers, suppliers, and others in the ecosystem. Given the importance of accelerating the transformation into net-zero transportation, the need of great companies coming together and collaborating is more important than ever.
“Welcoming Toyota onboard will be a big leap towards realising decarbonisation of our industries.”