Toyota and Coca-Cola in fuel cell trial
Toyota is testing a hydrogen fuel-cell truck with Coca-Cola as part of the drinks company’s European supply operations. Gas manufacturer Air Liquide is supplying the project with hydrogen sourced from renewables, highlighting the significance of the concurrent development of vehicles and infrastructure.
The proof of concept truck, which is based on a DAF CF tractor unit, was used to support Coca-Cola’s deliveries during the Paris Olympics. While carrying prominent Toyota logos, the truck is actually badged as a VDL. Bus manufacturer VDL was originally part of the DAF company, and it is possible that the truck’s running gear is sourced from the VDL Citea electric bus. DAF’s parent company Paccar is working with Toyota and Shell to develop fuel-cell trucks in the North American market.
Eric Desbonnets, vice-president Paris 2024 Operations, Coca-Cola, said: “We are pleased to partner with Toyota and Air Liquide to test hydrogen solutions for our long-distance logistics operations. We want to learn from this experience as we continue to work towards reducing our carbon footprint.”
Erwin Penfornis, vice-president hydrogen energy world business line, Air Liquide, added: “Air Liquide shares the same ambition as Coca-Cola and Toyota: implementing concrete solutions to meet the challenge of energy transition. This collaborative project is part of such an approach and will demonstrate the relevance of hydrogen for heavy-duty mobility. With a growing call for products with a low carbon transportation footprint, hydrogen is particularly well-suited to long-distance transportation, providing flexibility and productivity.”
Thiebault Pacquet, vice-president R&D, Toyota Motor Europe, commented: “To help speed up the expansion of hydrogen technology implementation in our society, we are expanding the use of our Toyota Fuel Cell Module beyond passenger cars and into trucks, buses, coaches, trains, boats, near-shore and short-sea vessels, stationary generators and so on. It is a great pleasure to collaborate with like-minded partners and demonstrate our shared vision of sustainable mobility. The insights gained from these proofs-of-concept will serve as crucial milestones on our path towards achieving zero tailpipe carbon emissions in our logistics operations by 2040.”
