Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) has announced that it is renaming its R&D California office as the North American Hydrogen Headquarters (H2HQ) to show its commitment to support fuel cell and other hydrogen-related products and technology towards a hydrogen economy. The H2HQ office has been redesigned to cater to teams working from research and development to commercialization planning and sales of hydrogen-related products and technologies. The H2HQ campus is set to receive several key features in the future, such as a flexible microgrid, sustainable customer education center, and more.
“Toyota has developed hydrogen fuel cell electric solutions for more than three decades, and we will continue to advance this scalable, zero-emission technology as part of our electrified portfolio,” said Ted Ogawa, President and CEO, Toyota Motor North America. “Renaming this facility as North American Hydrogen Headquarters represents our leadership in fuel cell development creating real-world products to help reduce carbon emissions.”
Last year, Toyota Motor Corporation restructured its hydrogen business in Japan, creating a “Hydrogen Factory” to consolidate all hydrogen-related work in one location. The objective was to accelerate customer-oriented product development and fuel cell production. Following this, Toyota Motor Europe also announced its own “Hydrogen Factory” with the aim of growing Toyota’s hydrogen business and promoting the wider roll-out of hydrogen ecosystems and infrastructure across Europe.
In North America, H2HQ will drive hydrogen initiatives and support the localization of global hydrogen-related technologies and products. These include light-duty fuel cell applications, heavy-duty fuel cell opportunities, stationary fuel cell power generation, port vehicle applications and more. The facility already boasts impressive research and development assets, including Toyota’s largest dynamometer (1.2 MW), a scalable test bench for stationary applications, and a hydrogen fueling station capable of providing fuel for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles.
Furthermore, NA H2HQ will be home to several new projects in the coming years as part of Toyota’s plans to maintain and grow its fuel cell leadership position.
“I’m very pleased that Toyota is building on its longstanding commitment to California by locating its North American hydrogen headquarters here in the Golden State,” said California State Senator, District 29, Josh Newman. “The work done there, along with green hydrogen initiatives throughout the state, is propelling California toward a dynamic, clean-energy economy which will also reduce carbon emissions and foster environmental stewardship while extending California’s leadership in this important space.”
Construction has commenced on a versatile microgrid that incorporates energy sources currently available in the market. The microgrid comprises a 230-kW solar photovoltaic system, a 1-MW stationary proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell generator, a 325-kW solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), and an onsite 500-kWh battery energy storage system. This microgrid is designed to cater to the energy requirements of the campus, enabling it to function self-sufficiently. The system is expected to be operational by 2026.
“California has ambitious goals to achieve clean air, carbon neutrality and a vibrant economy. Toyota’s investment to expand their research and development of hydrogen fuel cell technology in our state is an example of the innovation that will accelerate the development and deployment of zero-emissions transportation options, particularly as we decarbonize the goods movement sector,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph.
Toyota is planning to build a new North American Hydrogen HQ, which will include a sustainable education center. This center will be open for tours by reservation and will serve as a place for people to learn more about Toyota’s vision of sustainability and the role that hydrogen will play in achieving it.
30+ Years of Development
Toyota has been researching and developing hydrogen fuel cell technology for over 30 years, creating one of the world’s first mass-market passenger fuel cell electric vehicles, the Mirai. The company is now scaling the technology to other applications that can benefit from zero-emissions, including heavy-duty transport and power generation systems.
The Fuel Cell Development (FCD) team at Toyota’s Gardena office has supported or initiated a wide range of fuel cell electric projects over the years. For instance, they played a key role in developing Toyota’s light-duty Mirai, launched in 2015, and collaborated with industry partners to help support infrastructure growth in California.
In 2017, Toyota’s FCD team acquired a Class 8 truck and fitted it with a fuel cell electric powertrain consisting of two Mirai fuel-cell stacks to prove the scalability of fuel cell technology in heavy-duty applications. This effort led to a collaboration with PACCAR’s Kenworth brand to build 10 proof-of-concept trucks, used to support the “Shore to Store” ZANZEFF project that demonstrated the viability of hydrogen-powered fuel cells as a zero-emission powertrain. PACCAR and Toyota agreed in 2023 to pursue commercialization of the project, with Toyota supplying the fuel cell powertrain kits from its Kentucky plant as a Tier 1 supplier.
More recently, Toyota demonstrated a non-automotive opportunity for hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology in stationary power generation. Toyota and TRD partnered to build a stationary unit to provide electricity at events where it was not readily available, launching the first public activation at an LPGA Tour stop where the unit supported the power needs of the event stage and sound system. The solution provided clean, quiet power that was proven to capably replace traditional diesel generators. Last year, Toyota built a 1MW fuel cell electric generator for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado to support microgrid testing at the facility. Finally, earlier this year, Toyota collaborated with Kohler on a prototype stationary generator to provide backup emergency power for Klickitat Valley Health hospital in Goldendale, Washington.
