Hydrogen, CEVA Logistics will soon test fuel cell truck provided by Toyota

French operator CEVA Logistics will soon test hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty truck manufactured by Toyota Motor Europe. Designed for TME by Dutch manufacturer VDL Groep, the prototype truck will operate under a five-year contract. 

CEVA will take possession of and integrate the prototype into its operations in the second half of 2023. The pilot program will allow CEVA to further evaluate the hydrogen fuel cell trucks ahead of the global industrialization of fuel cell technology, which should start toward the end of the decade.

Toyota fuel cell truck for CEVA Logistics

CEVA will study the performance of the hydrogen fuel cell technology compared to traditional diesel trucks and identify potential use cases. The fuel cell-hydrogen truck will be assigned to a dedicated flow between two TME sites and will be fueled with hydrogen supplied from existing stations available between the sites.

The test is part of CEVA’s efforts to implement a range of initiatives into its Ground operations to reduce emissions by scaling up the use of electric vehicles (EVs), biogas and biofuels, testing hydrogen fuel cell and other low-carbon trucks and transitioning eligible full-truckload shipments to its rail solutions.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Toyota Motor Europe, and playing an active role in this decarbonization project with them represents an important moment for us and for our industry. We recently launched the ECTN (European Clean Transport Network) Alliance with Sanef and Engie, and we also announced recently our global commitment to a much larger EV fleet. So, today’s announcement is just one more example of CEVA’s commitment to working hand-in-hand with major brands to find better ways to transport ground freight”, stated Luc Nadal, managing director for Europe, CEVA Logistics.