Gothenburg – September 17, 2026 -- Eight industry leaders, including Volvo Group, Daimler Truck and Toyota Motor Corporation, unveiled a coordinated plan at IAA Transportation to scale hydrogen-powered trucking across Europe, with Germany positioned as the first market offering a fully scalable deployment model by 2030.
Daimler Truck commits mid-three-digit million euro investment to hydrogen fleet
Daimler Truck customers have already driven nearly 600,000 kilometers with fuel cell trucks. The company will deploy 100 next-generation fuel cell trucks into customer operations from late 2026, alongside hydrogen combustion engine trucks set for market launch in 2027. Daimler Truck is investing a mid-three-digit million euro amount in hydrogen trucks through 2030. Volvo Group is separately committing significant capital to both fuel-cell and hydrogen-combustion truck lines for rollout toward 2030.
Bosch and Toyota supply core hydrogen technology components
Bosch is providing gaseous hydrogen vehicle components and refueling technology, with its fuel cell system validated over more than 30 million kilometers on the road. Toyota joins as a technology partner, contributing over 30 years of fuel cell system development and supply expertise.
Energy majors target refueling stations capable of servicing 100 trucks daily
Air Liquide, TotalEnergies and MB Energy, alongside retail joint venture TEAL Mobility, are mobilizing liquid and gaseous hydrogen supply capacity. The consortium is building high-throughput refueling stations designed to service up to 100 trucks per day, leveraging renewable hydrogen production growth under the EU's RED III directive.
Germany's NOW funding program draws oversubscribed demand from logistics operators
Recent applications under Germany's NOW funding program were oversubscribed, with industrial companies applying for over 70 high-capacity refueling stations and 800 heavy-duty trucks. The demand confirms commercial pull from the logistics sector for zero-emission freight transport.
Coalition pushes three-lever cost strategy to match diesel pricing
The group identified three levers to reach diesel-competitive economics: lowering truck costs through incentives and series production, achieving diesel-competitive hydrogen pump prices via a more competitive supply chain and Greenhouse Gas quota mechanisms, and offering zero-emission toll exemptions for fleet operators.
Industry calls on EU to replicate German model continent-wide
The coalition is urging national governments and the European Commission to synchronize funding calls for refueling stations and vehicles to meet Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation targets, harmonize renewable fuel credit mechanisms and toll incentives, and jointly de-risk the value chain from production and liquefaction to distribution and vehicle operation.