Toyota has signed an equal shareholding agreement with Daimler Truck, Volvo and Cellcentric to cooperate on a hydrogen fuel cell system joint venture for commercial vehicles.
Cellcentric – a joint venture of Volvo Group and Daimler Truck founded in 2021 – and Toyota aim to work together on the development and production of fuel cell unit cells for heavy-duty on- and off-road transport and other heavy-duty applications, along with associated architecture and control elements.
Under the project, Cellcentric will be the joint centre of competence to develop, produce and commercialise the fuel cell systems.
The aim is to further strengthen Cellcentric’s market competitiveness, by combining Volvo’s and Daimler Truck’s commercial vehicle expertise with Toyota’s fuel cell development, production technology and manufacturing experience.
In addition, the partners aim to actively support the development of hydrogen supply and infrastructure through collaboration with industry associations and partners.
Although the signed agreement is non-binding, the parties aim to reach a legally binding agreement, which will be subject to approval by all relevant parties and by the respective boards and regulatory authorities.
Nicholas Loughlan, Managing Director and CTO, Cellcentric, said: “We are extremely proud that Toyota intends to join as a shareholder of Cellcentric – a great sign of trust in our company from one of the world’s leading automotive companies.”
Koji Sato, president and CEO at Toyota, said: “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.”
