Volvo Group, Daimler Truck, Toyota Motor Corporation, Bosch, Air Liquide, TotalEnergies, Teal Mobility and MB Energy announced the initiative at the IAA Transportation trade show, saying they aim to address bottlenecks across the hydrogen mobility value chain, from vehicle production and hydrogen supply to refuelling infrastructure.

The companies said the German market has established the conditions for scalable deployment of hydrogen trucks by 2030 and called for national governments and the European Commission to provide coordinated support to extend the approach across Europe.

The initiative covers both gaseous and liquid hydrogen. The companies involved in infrastructure and energy supply are working towards higher-capacity refuelling stations capable of serving up to 100 trucks per day.

The industry group also identified the cost of hydrogen-powered trucks and hydrogen at the pump as key factors for fleet operators. They said these costs could be addressed through vehicle incentives and series production, a more competitive hydrogen supply chain and renewable-fuel credit mechanisms, as well as operating incentives such as zero-emission toll exemptions.

According to the companies, Germany’s funding programmes are already demonstrating demand from the logistics sector. They said applications to Germany’s NOW funding programme included more than 70 high-capacity refuelling stations and 800 heavy-duty trucks.

The companies are also calling for infrastructure funding and vehicle deployment to be coordinated with Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) targets, alongside measures to improve the economics of hydrogen for fleet operators.

They are also calling on governments and the European Commission to help reduce investment risk across the hydrogen value chain, covering production, liquefaction, distribution and vehicle operation.

The call for coordinated policy support comes as the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) has warned that hydrogen refuelling infrastructure must expand rapidly if hydrogen trucks are to scale across Europe.

The VDA estimates that Europe will need around 2,000 hydrogen refuelling stations suitable for trucks by 2030, including around 300 in Germany.

On the vehicle side, Daimler Truck said customers have accumulated almost 600,000km with its fuel-cell trucks. The company plans to deploy a small series of 100 next-generation fuel-cell trucks in customer operations from the end of 2026, while hydrogen combustion-engine trucks are being prepared for market launch in 2027.

Volvo Group is also developing both fuel-cell and hydrogen-combustion trucks, with market rollout targeted towards 2030. Toyota will participate as a technology partner, while Bosch is supplying vehicle components and refuelling technology.

Toyota expands fuel-cell technology for heavy-duty transport

Alongside the broader industry push for hydrogen trucking, Toyota has also announced further steps to deploy its fuel-cell technology in heavy-duty transport through partnerships with European truck manufacturers.

Toyota said it will supply its third-generation fuel-cell systems for 40 heavy-duty vehicles in Scania’s Pilot Partner programme. The first vehicles are scheduled to enter operation in 1Q2027.

The vehicles will use Toyota’s latest 300kW fuel-cell system. Toyota said the system offers twice the output and durability of its previous-generation system, with 20% higher fuel efficiency and reduced costs.

The collaboration with Scania will involve testing the fuel-cell technology in heavy-duty transport operations. The companies said the programme will collect data on technical performance, efficiency and total cost of ownership.

Toyota is also participating in the EU-funded Empower project with Iveco. Toyota will supply fuel-cell systems for Iveco’s next-generation fuel-cell electric vehicles, while Iveco will develop, integrate and validate the vehicles.

The Iveco S-eWay fuelcell is being developed with a 300kW fuel-cell system and a targeted range of more than 900km. Toyota said the vehicle is designed for a durability of more than 25,000 operating hours.

Validation of the Iveco vehicle is scheduled to begin in 4Q2026, with on-road testing planned for 1H2027.