Germany and Japan Advance Hydrogen Vehicle Cooperation

German Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder arrived at Toyota's fuel cell factory in a BMW iX5 Hydrogen vehicle and later departed in a Toyota Crown FCEV. Both cars generate electricity from hydrogen in a fuel cell. BMW and Toyota are jointly developing the third generation of this drive technology.

Three BMW employees have moved to Japan to participate in the project. Both companies are contributing components to develop a more compact and efficient fuel cell.

Once development is complete, BMW will manufacture the drive technology in an Austrian factory and Toyota will produce it at a Japanese site. BMW plans to launch its first hydrogen series model in 2028. Toyota will equip its two existing hydrogen series models with the new system.

"The cooperation between Toyota and BMW on hydrogen is groundbreaking for the further development of this drive technology," Transport Minister Schnieder told reporters. Germany expects a sharp increase in demand for green hydrogen by 2030 and will need to import large quantities.

Japan plans to expand its hydrogen capacity to twelve million tons per year by 2040. Schnieder visited the world's first terminal for liquid hydrogen in the port of Kobe, which has so far only been used for testing. He also visited Kansai Airport in Osaka, where buses and forklift trucks run on fuel cells as a pilot project.

Last September, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Toyota, Kepco, Daimler Truck, MB Energy and the Port of Hamburg agreed to establish a commercial hydrogen supply chain. German and Japanese authorities are exploring ways to finance the hydrogen production boost.

Earlier this year, 220 million euros were made available to build up to 40 hydrogen filling stations in Germany and put up to 400 hydrogen-powered trucks on the road. Daimler Truck has begun operating Germany's first liquid hydrogen refueling station for trucks.

Daimler's Japanese subsidiary Fuso has brought liquid hydrogen truck propulsion to Japan. Fuso recently merged with Toyota's commercial vehicle subsidiary Hino to form the joint venture Archion. The new venture will coordinate hydrogen truck offerings.

Germany plans to have three quarters of newly registered heavy commercial vehicles running on emission-free fuel by 2030. Japan has not set comparable targets. Fuso's H2FC truck remains a concept vehicle for now because Japan currently has only filling stations for compressed hydrogen.