[Kyodo News, Berlin, September 5]Toyota Motor of Japan and BMW of Germany announced on September 5 that they will strengthen cooperation in the field of fuel cell vehicles (FCV) powered by hydrogen. The two sides will work together to develop the basic technology of FCV, and BMW will start mass production of the company’s first FCV in 2028. FCV does not emit greenhouse gas carbon dioxide during driving. Towards the popularization of FCV, the number of “hydrogen refueling stations” for replenishing hydrogen fuel has become a problem, but the two companies will also cooperate in infrastructure construction.

EVs, which are considered to be the next generation of popular car models, are not seeing much growth in demand worldwide. Auto giants are under pressure to accelerate the development of various electric vehicles including FCVs and hybrid vehicles (HVs) or to undergo strategic transformation such as business restructuring.

Toyota and BMW are striving to develop a compact and efficient next-generation fuel cell system. Although FCVs are said to be expensive like EVs, if the two companies’ passenger cars and commercial vehicles can be equipped with this system, sales will increase and price competitiveness is expected to improve. The two companies announced their cooperation in the FCV field in June 2012, but the content of the cooperation so far has been limited to Toyota supplying parts to BMW.

At a briefing held by BMW on the 5th, Toyota President Tsuneharu Sato sent a video message saying: “The cooperation will reach a new level. We will also work with other European partners to accelerate the transition to a hydrogen energy society.” BMW Chairman Oliver Zipse emphasized the significance, saying: “This is an epoch-making event in the history of automobiles. It marks the beginning of an era in which many people need FCVs.” (End)