Toyota Bets on Cellcentric in Hydrogen Truck Push

Toyota joins Daimler Truck and Volvo Group as equal owner of cellcentric, pooling fuel cell expertise for European heavy transport.

4 Apr 2026

Toyota Motor has agreed to become an equal shareholder in cellcentric, the hydrogen fuel cell systems joint venture owned by Daimler Truck and Volvo Group, in a move that aligns three of the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers behind a single technology platform. The agreement, announced in June 2026, remains non-binding pending regulatory clearance.

Cellcentric, established in 2021 and headquartered in Germany, develops and produces fuel cell systems primarily for heavy-duty trucking. A three-way split would deepen Toyota’s European footprint while giving cellcentric access to the Japanese company’s decades of fuel cell expertise, most visibly deployed in the Mirai passenger car and its commercial truck programmes.

The timing matters. European heavy-duty manufacturers face tightening CO2 targets under the revised Heavy-Duty Vehicle Regulation, which sets a 45 percent emissions reduction target for new trucks by 2030. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are one of two zero-emission pathways eligible under those rules, alongside battery-electric.

Toyota’s decision to invest in a European venture rather than scale its own platform exclusively signals confidence in collaborative supply chain development. Shared production infrastructure could reduce per-unit costs and accelerate the supplier networks needed to support fleet operators making long-term procurement commitments.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Regulatory approvals are expected to determine the formal completion timeline. The partnership will be watched by fleet operators, infrastructure developers, and policymakers as a signal of whether the hydrogen truck sector is converging on durable commercial structures.