Photo: Toyota Europe Newsroom / IVECO. The image belongs to the original publication.

Toyota and IVECO announced on 10 September a collaboration on a new generation of hydrogen fuel-cell electric trucks. The project is called EMPOWER and is funded through the European Horizon Europe programme. In the initial phase, Toyota supplies the fuel-cell system, while IVECO develops, integrates and tests the vehicle.

The model used for the project is an IVECO S-eWay Fuel Cell. The two companies state a total power of 300 kW, range of more than 900 km and a targeted operating life of more than 25,000 hours. These are figures communicated before in-service tests, not values confirmed in commercial use.

Tests from late 2026, public-road running in 2027

Validation work starts in the fourth quarter of 2026. Public-road tests in heavy-transport conditions are scheduled for the first half of 2027. The aim is to verify the truck in real operations before any industrial-scale development.

The new vehicle follows the hydrogen trucks IVECO used in the H2Haul project. According to the joint announcement, the generation now in development has a simplified energy architecture, lower mass and needs about half the battery capacity of the previous generation. The companies have not specified the battery capacity or the truck’s final mass.

For haulage operators, the difference between a prototype and a usable vehicle depends above all on range, refuelling times, reliability and access to hydrogen stations. Through EMPOWER, Toyota and IVECO propose to check precisely these points for long-haul and heavy applications, where standing time has a direct cost.

Shinichi Yasui, executive vice president for research and development at Toyota Motor Europe, said the company’s third-generation fuel-cell system is designed for the requirements of high-mileage commercial vehicles. Toyota has produced compact fuel-cell modules in Europe since 2022.

The truck is not yet announced as a production model, and there is no price or commercial launch date. The results of the tests scheduled for 2027 will show whether the declared figures can be maintained in day-to-day freight transport.

Source: Toyota Europe Newsroom - Toyota and IVECO, the EMPOWER project