Toyota and Scania to test hydrogen fuel cells across 40 heavy-duty trucks

Toyota and Scania have agreed a partnership to test hydrogen fuel-cell technology in heavy-duty transport, with Toyota supplying fuel-cell systems for 40 Scania trucks that are due to start operating during the first quarter of 2027. The announcement was made jointly from Södertälje and Brussels on 7 September 2026.

The vehicles will run within Scania's Pilot Partner programme, which brings the Swedish truck maker together with selected customers to evaluate new powertrain technologies under real operating conditions. The trucks will be equipped with Toyota's third-generation fuel-cell system, a 300 kW unit that Toyota describes as a highly compact package designed for heavy-duty applications. Toyota says the collaboration is expected to deliver confirmation of technical performance, operational efficiency and total cost of ownership — the figures that ultimately decide whether hydrogen can compete in commercial trucking.

Both sides framed the deal as a learning exercise rather than a product launch. "We believe hydrogen is the right solution for demanding heavy-duty applications, where long range, high utilisation and operational efficiency are essential," said Hiroki Nakajima, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Corporation, adding that heavy-duty transport is key to building hydrogen demand and the infrastructure to serve it. Scania chief technology officer Sara Forsberg said the partnership will give Scania "valuable insights into the opportunities and challenges associated with hydrogen fuel cell technology in heavy-duty transport."

For Scania, the Toyota deal is one more test in a portfolio that still centres on battery-electric trucks. The company has repeatedly stressed that direct electrification remains the core of its decarbonisation strategy, with hydrogen treated as one of several alternatives to be validated in real operations rather than a near-term strategic shift. Through the Pilot Partner programme, Scania has also been testing hydrogen fuel-cell trucks with Norwegian grocery distributor Asko, using Scania's electric powertrain combined with hydrogen systems. Results from those trials have shown ranges of up to 1,000 kilometres per refuelling, with water vapour as the only emission — though the vehicles are not yet available to order.

For Toyota, the agreement extends a strategy of selling fuel-cell hardware to other manufacturers rather than only using it in its own vehicles. The company has pushed its fuel-cell modules into buses, trains, marine applications and stationary power, and already supplies hydrogen systems for Kenworth and Peterbilt Class 8 trucks in North America through a partnership with PACCAR.

The Scania pilot also lands ahead of Toyota's planned entry into cellcentric, the fuel-cell joint venture jointly owned by Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group. Toyota has signed a binding agreement to become an equal one-third shareholder, with completion expected around the turn of the year subject to regulatory approvals.

More details on the collaboration are expected at IAA Transportation in Hannover, where Toyota will hold a press conference on 14 September. The first of the 40 Scania trucks are scheduled to enter customer operations during the first quarter of 2027, and Scania says lessons from the programme will feed directly back into its powertrain development.

Toyota and Scania to test hydrogen fuel cells across 40 heavy-duty trucks

Sources