100,000 km and no smoke: VDL's hydrogen truck proves itself in Toyota's logistics

A fine milestone for heavy-duty hydrogen transport: the hydrogen truck built by VDL Special Vehicles has covered more than 100,000 kilometres in the daily logistics of Toyota Motor Europe. The truck delivered reliable performance with no major issues or unexpected downtime – exactly the kind of proof that shows sustainable transport solutions are ready for use today.

From partnership to everyday practice

The truck stems from the collaboration announced by Toyota Motor Europe and the Dutch VDL Groep in May 2023. The idea: convert existing heavy-duty trucks into emission-free vehicles using Toyota's fuel cell modules. The first demonstration truck took to the road in 2023, and Toyota now runs several 40-tonne hydrogen trucks on its European routes.

The vehicles drive between Toyota's European parts centre in Diest (Belgium) and destinations in France, Germany and the Netherlands – including Rotterdam. Logistics partners such as CEVA, Groupe CAT, Vos Transport Group and Yusen Logistics handle the trips.

Diesel-like performance, without the emissions

These are converted 40-tonne trucks running on Toyota fuel cells. On a single tank of hydrogen they cover around 400 km under real-world driving conditions, more than enough for the daily routes from the distribution centre. Performance is comparable to a diesel truck, but with zero tailpipe emissions.

Two qualities make hydrogen especially suited to this work. The system is relatively light, leaving more capacity for payload – and the less weight a truck carries, the less energy it needs to get moving and keep moving. On top of that, refuelling is as fast as diesel, which matters for vehicles operating intensively on tight schedules.

Why this milestone matters

100,000 km in real-world service is more than a nice number. It demonstrates the reliability of the truck-and-fuel-cell combination under demanding daily conditions. For Toyota it fits the ambition to decarbonise its own logistics; for the wider sector it signals that zero-emission heavy transport need not be a distant prospect.

Alongside battery-electric solutions, this project shows that hydrogen is a fully fledged zero-emission option, particularly for heavy and intensive transport. And the odometer keeps climbing: everyone involved is looking forward to many more safe and clean kilometres.

Sources:

• VDL Special Vehicles (LinkedIn / vdlspecialvehicles.com)
• Toyota Motor Europe Newsroom – newsroom.toyota.eu
• Automotive Logistics – automotivelogistics.media
• New Mobility – newmobility.news
• FuelCellsWorks – fuelcellsworks.com