Toyota is considering using hydrogen to power its auto parts delivery trucks to mitigate energy risks.

Toyota is considering using hydrogen in its trucks for transporting parts, and may expand this to its factories and supplier logistics network to mitigate energy risks.

On September 4, 2026, at 4:00 AM, Bloomberg News reported that Toyota Motor is considering using hydrogen as fuel for its trucks that transport auto parts. This comes after the conflict with Iran pushed up gasoline prices and put pressure on energy supply, leading to increased interest in alternative fuels.

Koji Sato, Vice President of Toyota, revealed that in the long term, the company may expand the use of hydrogen as an internal energy source in factories, as well as for use in the supplier logistics network. This would mean that the role of hydrogen is not limited to just being fuel for cars.

In the past, hydrogen was expected to be one of the world's major energy sources in the pursuit of carbon neutrality, but its widespread adoption still faces obstacles due to its high cost and limitations in production, storage, and transportation efficiency.

Meanwhile, sales of hydrogen fuel cell passenger cars remain low in Japan, leading both the government and private sector to focus on more feasible approaches, particularly the use of hydrogen in commercial vehicles such as trucks.

Data from the Hydrogen Council and McKinsey indicates that the declared committed investment in clean hydrogen projects worldwide exceeded $110,000 billion as of July 2568, a $35,000 billion increase from the previous year.

Sato's plan is also part of Toyota's commitment, as a member of the Japan Hydrogen Association (JH2A), to push for hydrogen to account for 1% of all logistics, fuel, and raw material transportation. Currently, 67 companies and organizations have joined the project, ranging from banks, trading companies, and insurance companies to local authorities, reflecting efforts to expand the widespread use of hydrogen.

Toyota is one of the automakers that has consistently promoted hydrogen technology. The company positions hydrogen as an alternative to internal combustion engines, hybrid vehicles, and battery electric vehicles under a strategy called the "Multipathway Approach," rather than focusing solely on the transition to battery electric vehicles.

However, the use of hydrogen-powered vehicles in Japan is still far from the government's goals. Japan was the first country in the world to establish a national hydrogen strategy and had set targets of having 200,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2568 and 800,000 by 2573.

However, data from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry indicates that as of March 2568, there were fewer than 8,300 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on Japanese roads, reflecting that actual usage is significantly below target.

The conflict in the Middle East that began in February has brought energy security issues back into high priority for Japan, after the supply-side impacts rippled into the automotive industry.

Sato stated that hydrogen was initially promoted primarily as a tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it is now receiving increasing attention in the dimension of energy security.

He believes Japan is undergoing a shift from a reliance on external energy sources to self-sufficiency in energy production. This has led to efforts to incorporate hydrogen into the country's energy strategy to increase resilience and mitigate supply-side risks.

Sato, who also serves as president of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), stated that Japanese automakers need to change their business strategies to maintain competitiveness amidst major changes in the industry, including the penetration of Chinese brands, changing consumer behavior, and increasing protectionist trade policies.

Sato stated that automakers can no longer do everything on their own and need to seriously explore avenues for collaboration.

One of the initiatives Sato pushed after taking over as president of JAMA was to increase common standards for parts among automakers, in order to help improve manufacturing processes and reduce costs.

Currently, Japanese automakers source approximately 70% of their parts from external manufacturers, but each company often has its own specific quality and safety standards, which adds a burden to suppliers, resulting in delays and increased costs.

Sato believes that by reducing component diversity and increasing the use of common standards, suppliers can improve production efficiency through automation and reduce their reliance on labor-intensive manufacturing methods.

The concept of cooperation has become increasingly important as Japanese automakers are losing market share in China, the world's largest automotive market, due to competition from high-tech, affordably priced Chinese electric vehicles.

While the popularity of hybrid vehicles is helping to propel Toyota forward, other Japanese manufacturers are increasingly collaborating. Honda and Nissan recently agreed to jointly develop key software for their new models, while Mitsubishi Motors, which already has strategic partnerships with both companies, is considering joining such software collaborations in the future.

Reference: www.bloomberg.com

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