Toyota Motor Europe has signed an agreement with Hydrogen Refueling Solutions (HRS) and ENGIE with the aim of launching the next generation of hydrogen refueling systems.
The new solution, which is faster and more cost-efficient, will be tested in a RHeaDHy project funded by the European Union (EU) that focuses on accelerating the deployment of infrastructure.
One of the challenges for expanding hydrogen refueling infrastructure is the need for hydrogen dispensers (stations) that can refuel light and heavy hydrogen fuel cell vehicles more quickly.
To address this, Toyota Europe states that the new Twin Mid Flow technology meets the needs by incorporating a dual high-flow nozzle, allowing a hydrogen dispenser to refuel heavy vehicles in under 10 minutes and light vehicles in under 5 minutes. This innovation eliminates the need for two different types of dispensers at each refueling station.
The practical advantage is that a 40-ton truck can be refueled for a range of 600 km in just 8 minutes and for a range of 900 km in only 12 minutes.
Furthermore, the installation cost of these hydrogen refueling stations will be significantly lower, which will help accelerate their deployment, in line with the goal set by the EU Regulation on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure (AFIR) to deploy publicly accessible hydrogen stations every 200 km along the Trans-European Transport Network by 2030.
Under the agreement now signed, Toyota will provide a test bench and a truck equipped with Twin Mid Flow technology. Hydrogen Refueling Solutions and ENGIE will develop next-generation hydrogen refueling stations compatible with this innovation, which will be tested in the RHeaDHy project starting in the last quarter of 2025.
“To contribute to the growth of hydrogen ecosystems, Toyota is already working with commercial partners who are innovating a wide range of zero-carbon emission applications using our advanced fuel cell systems. The development of Twin Mid Flow technology is the next step in our effort to stimulate the growth of hydrogen ecosystems. We are excited about this new partnership,” said Thiebault Paquet, Vice President of R&D at Toyota Motor Europe.
