Toyota, Air Liquide and CaetanoBus join forces to accelerate the development of hydrogen mobility in Europe
· Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by Toyota Motor Europe, Air Liquide and CaetanoBus for the expansion of hydrogen mobility
· Agreement aims for closer cooperation in developing opportunities for hydrogen mobility projects in several European countries
· Objective is to collaborate to create integrated ecosystems where both hydrogen supply and vehicle demand are provided simultaneously
Brussels, 17 May – Air Liquide, CaetanoBus and Toyota Motor Europe have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim of developing integrated hydrogen solutions. This will include infrastructure development and vehicle fleets to accelerate the expansion of hydrogen mobility for both light and heavy-duty vehicles. The partnership reflects the shared ambition of the three partners to contribute to decarbonising transport and accelerate the development of local hydrogen ecosystems for multiple mobility applications.
The three companies will use their complementary expertise to address the entire value chain of hydrogen mobility, ranging from renewable or low-carbon hydrogen production, distribution and refuelling infrastructure, to the deployment in different vehicle segments. Initially the focus will be on buses, light commercial vehicles and cars, with a further aim to accelerate the heavy-duty truck segment.
By exploring joint opportunities, the three major players of hydrogen mobility will contribute to the emergence of new hydrogen ecosystems across Europe, a key step to stimulate demand and facilitate hydrogen access for other mobility applications. This includes the infrastructure and refuelling stations, as well as integrated vehicles offers (leasing and service) to customers such as taxi companies, fleet operators, local authorities, and others. The integration of different applications and projects within a hydrogen ecosystem, where supply and demand meet, is intended to create a virtuous circle enabling the overall hydrogen infrastructure to further mature. This initiative represents another step along the path of decarbonization, which is consistent with the stronger focus from European governments and the readiness of hydrogen technologies.
As a key solution to reduce CO2 emissions of the mobility sector, low-carbon hydrogen is a crucial enabler of the energy transition. Air Liquide is pleased to partner with Toyota and CaetanoBus. Such partnerships are essential to create efficient ecosystems that will foster the emergence of hydrogen mobility in Europe. Air Liquide has been committed for more than 50 years to develop the entire hydrogen value chain and will bring its expertise in both the production of low-carbon hydrogen and the development of hydrogen mobility infrastructures. This partnership illustrates the capacity of the industry to bring concrete solutions to the fight against climate change.
We are excited by the opportunity to combine our strengths to expand the development of hydrogen clusters. Toyota’s role is to bring the hydrogen applications into the ecosystem, and by working together with our partners we want to accelerate and intensify the use of hydrogen as a carbon neutral solution for mobility. This will gradually reduce the costs of hydrogen and its infrastructure while improving the business case for many future applications including mobility.
It is a great pleasure to work on hydrogen projects with these partners and have the chance to reinforce the role of new forms of energy in the pursuit of a sustainable way of living. We are aware of the responsibility of the mobility sector in this mission and our goal as a bus manufacturer is to continuously develop new hydrogen buses, to reduce the carbon footprint in the cities. If we can do it in partnership to create a full ecosystem, the better it is, because energy transitions are only effective with true alignment between companies, countries, and policies.
About Air Liquide
A world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 75 countries with approximately 66,400 employees and serves more than 3.8 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide’s scientific territory and have been at the core of the company’s activities since its creation in 1902.
Air Liquide’s ambition is to be a leader in its industry, deliver long term performance and contribute to sustainability - with a strong commitment to climate change and energy transition at the heart of its strategy. The company’s customer-centric transformation strategy aims at profitable, regular and responsible growth over the long term. It relies on operational excellence, selective investments, open innovation and a network organization implemented by the Group worldwide. Through the commitment and inventiveness of its people, Air Liquide leverages energy and environment transition, changes in healthcare and digitization, and delivers greater value to all its stakeholders.
Air Liquide’s revenue amounted to more than 23 billion euros in 2021. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, CAC 40 ESG, EURO STOXX 50 and FTSE4Good indexes.
Corporate Communications contact: media@airliquide.com
Investor Relations contact: IRTeam@airliquide.com
About CaetanoBus
CaetanoBus, part of Toyota Caetano Portugal and Mitsui & Co, is a bus and chassis manufacturer in Portugal. The company has a consolidated offer in vehicles for cities and airports which is a result of its technical capacity in developing unique, customer-oriented mobility solutions. CaetanoBus is also the manufacturer of COBUS, the world’s market leader in airport bus transportation. CaetanoBus has been focusing on electric mobility since 1980. Follow us on LinkedIn.
Public Relations Contact: Raquel Noutel Santos - raquel.santos@caetanobus.pt - T: +351 915 278 883
Toyota Motor Europe NV/SA (TME) oversees the wholesale sales and marketing of Toyota, GR (GAZOO Racing) and Lexus vehicles and parts and accessories, as well as Toyota’s European manufacturing and engineering operations. Toyota directly employs over 27,000 people and has invested over EUR 10 billion in Europe since 1990. Its nine European manufacturing plants are located in Portugal, the UK, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Turkey and Russia. Today, there are approximately 16.5 million Toyota, GR and Lexus vehicles on European roads, whose drivers are supported by a network of 28 National Marketing and Sales Companies and around 2,800 retail sales outlets in 53 countries (EU, UK, EFTA countries + Russia, Israel, Turkey and other Eastern European countries). In 2021, TME sold 1,076,300 vehicles in Europe for a 6.4% market share. For more information, visit Facts & Figures (toyota.eu) and www.toyota-europe.com.
Toyota believes that when people are free to move, anything is possible. In the pursuit of "Mobility for All", Toyota aims to create safer, more connected, inclusive and sustainable mobility to achieve its mission of producing “Happiness for All”. In Europe, TME launched the KINTO mobility brand which offers a range of mobility services in 14 countries, and is growing its business-to-business sales of zero-emission fuel cell products and engineering support. Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Toyota is working to achieve carbon neutrality in its entire business across Europe. A historic leader in CO2 reduction in Europe, TME aims to achieve 100% CO2 reduction in all new vehicles in Western Europe by 2035 and will continue to offer a full range of electrified powertrains to customers across the region with its hybrid, plug-in hybrid, battery and fuel cell electric vehicles. When it comes to sustainability, Toyota is committed to going Beyond Zero.