Toyota Motor has invested heavily in the development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, but has not yet been able to justify the investment. In part, this will be facilitated by the production of profile components in China, which will be organized with the support of Chinese partners. Until now, Toyota has produced hydrogen fuel cells and power plants only in Japan.

Image Source: Nikkei Asian Review

The prospects for cooperation between Toyota and Tsinghua University were announced by the Japanese agency Nikkei. The existence of such an initiative has so far been confirmed only by the Chinese side; Toyota itself is trying not to comment on the situation. The joint venture, which will launch Toyota’s hydrogen-fueled propulsion components in China, is expected to begin production in 2022 or 2023.

For the Chinese side, the project, which can qualify for government subsidies, is of great infrastructural importance. City buses are being converted to hydrogen fuel cells in China, and the authorities have already selected several major cities to carry out such reforms. Unlike electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are capable of replenishing hundreds of kilometers of range in minutes.

The Chinese market is important for Toyota Motor, it is the largest in the world, the company is the second largest global automaker in it, behind only Volkswagen. For the first time, a Japanese corporation will move the production of hydrogen fuel cells outside of Japan. In the first nine months of last year, Toyota sold just over ten thousand hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, two-thirds of which were sold in the United States and the rest in Japan. If we talk about Mirai light “hydrogen cars”, most of them are sold on lease, since the cost of cars remains high for private buyers. That doesn’t stop Toyota from expecting to exceed sales of the first generation Mirai tenfold with the help of its successor.