Toyota, IVECO Collaborate to Advance Hydrogen Fuel Cell Heavy-duty Trucks
Bennett Oghifo Toyota and IVECO have announced a new collaboration under EMPOWER – the EU-funded Horizon Europe project dedicated to advancing zero-emission heavy-duty transport – marking a significant milestone in
Toyota and IVECO have entered into a new partnership under the EMPOWER project, a Horizon Europe initiative aiming to advance zero-emission heavy-duty transport. As part of this collaboration, Toyota will supply the fuel cell system for IVECO's next-generation fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Toyota's contribution encompasses its most advanced fuel cell technology, built on more than three decades of experience in mobility and industrial applications.
Conversely, IVECO will oversee vehicle development, integration, and validation, leveraging its expertise in sustainable transport and the success of past hydrogen projects.
The new FCEVs represent a significant technological advancement over IVECO's initial hydrogen-powered models, offering enhanced performance, efficiency, and durability. These vehicles will be powered by Toyota's fuel cell systems with a total output of 300 kW, delivering a driving range surpassing 900 km, with a lifespan extending to over 25,000 operating hours.
Notably, these improvements have resulted in a reduced vehicle weight and a more streamlined architecture, achieved through an optimized energy management strategy that requires half the battery capacity of the previous generation.
These enhancements are in line with Toyota's ongoing efforts to refine fuel cell technology for commercial vehicle applications, focusing on reliability, efficiency, and extended operational life. Validation and testing of these new FCEVs will commence in the fourth quarter of this year, with on-road trials set to begin in the first half of 2027.
The outcomes of these trials will contribute to the development of commercially viable hydrogen-powered solutions for heavy-duty transport, serving as a pilot platform for future industrial-scale deployment.
For IVECO, this partnership signifies a commitment to a long-term vision for heavy-duty transport, emphasizing sustainability, energy resilience, and operational performance. Through EMPOWER, IVECO aims to unite leading fuel cell expertise with advanced vehicle engineering to unlock the full potential of hydrogen and propel the evolution of zero-emission heavy-duty transport.
Shinichi Yasui, Executive Vice President of R&D at Toyota Motor Europe, highlighted the importance of transitioning to zero-emission freight, noting that hydrogen fuel cell technology offers substantial benefits in terms of range, uptime, and efficiency for high-mileage, heavy-duty operations.
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