Toyota, IVECO Unveil Hydrogen Truck with over 900km Range

Toyota and IVECO are developing a new hydrogen fuel cell truck that can travel more than 900km and operate for over 25,000 hours, under an EU-funded project aimed at cleaner heavy-duty transport.

The vehicle, the IVECO S-eWay Fuel Cell, uses Toyota fuel cell systems with a total output of 300 kilowatts. It is being developed through EMPOWER, a Horizon Europe project focused on zero-emission heavy-duty transport.

The new truck is designed to improve on IVECO’s first-generation fuel cell trucks used in the H2Haul project. The companies said lessons from those vehicles have helped shape the new model’s performance, efficiency and durability.

A major change is the reduction in battery capacity. The new vehicle needs only half the battery capacity used by the previous generation, helped by a simpler vehicle design and a more efficient energy management system.

New truck designed for long-distance use

Toyota is supplying the fuel cell system, drawing on more than 30 years of development, innovation and commercial use of the technology in mobility and industrial applications.

IVECO is responsible for developing, integrating and testing the complete vehicle. The company has also gained experience from previous hydrogen projects and real-world demonstrations.

The two companies said the new truck has been designed to meet the demands of heavy commercial transport, where vehicles often need to cover long distances and operate for extended periods.

Its fuel cell system produces 300kW, giving the truck more power and allowing a driving range of more than 900km. Its operating life has also been raised to more than 25,000 hours.

The vehicle is lighter than the previous generation. Its design has also been simplified through changes to the way energy is managed within the truck.

These changes are intended to bring hydrogen fuel cell technology closer to the practical needs of large commercial vehicles. Toyota said its fuel cell development is focused on reliability, efficiency and longer operating life for commercial applications.

The project also gives both companies an opportunity to test the technology under real transport conditions before any larger industrial production is considered.

Road trials planned for 2027

Validation and testing of the new truck are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026. Road trials are planned for the first half of 2027.

The trials will test the technology under demanding real-world conditions. Information gathered from the tests will be used in developing hydrogen-powered systems for long-distance and heavy-duty transport.

The project is also expected to provide a pilot platform for a possible future industrial scale-up of the technology.

Marco Liccardo, Chief Technology and Digital Officer of Iveco Group, said hydrogen could support future energy and mobility systems.

“Hydrogen is a key enabler of the future energy and mobility ecosystem. By joining forces with Toyota through EMPOWER, we are investing in a long-term vision for heavy-duty transport, one that combines sustainability, energy resilience and operational performance.”

Liccardo said the partnership would help explore hydrogen’s potential in zero-emission heavy-duty transport and support the development of new transport solutions.

Shinichi Yasui, Executive Vice President, R&D, Toyota Motor Europe, said heavy-duty freight requires technology that can cope with commercial operating conditions.

“For high-mileage, heavy-duty operations, hydrogen fuel cell technology offers strong potential by combining range, uptime and efficiency.”

Yasui said Toyota would work with IVECO to demonstrate how its third-generation fuel cell system could support logistics without tailpipe emissions while meeting operational needs.

IVECO designs, manufactures and markets light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles for different uses. The company has more than 2,300 service points across its global network.

The EMPOWER project will now progress from development into testing, with the first validation work scheduled before road trials begin in 2027.