Toyota partnership making hydrogen refuelling faster, cheaper, more available in Europe
Toyota Motor Europe is teaming up with Hydrogen Refueling Solutions (HRS) and ENGIE to bring faster, cheaper, and more scalable hydrogen refuelling to the roads of the EU.
At the heart of this effort is Toyota’s new Twin Mid Flow Technology – effectively, a new dual-nozzle fuelling system designed to speed up refuelling and cut infrastructure costs.
Hydrogen already offers rapid refuelling, but the nifty tech pushes it even further. A 40-tonne truck can now refuel for 600km in just eight minutes, or 900km in 12 minutes.
Toyota has developed the nozzle system as part of their hydrogen racing exploits. The dual nozzle, the company says, cuts refuelling time by two thirds compared to single nozzle flow.
This brings hydrogen in line with diesel refuelling times, making it an even more attractive option for logistics operators.
The partnership supports the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which mandates hydrogen refuelling stations be available every 200km along Europe’s key transport routes by 2030. If successful, it could make hydrogen trucking a viable, everyday reality.
Find your nearest hydrogen refuelling station (Europe)
What is Twin Mid Flow Technology?
Toyota’s Twin Mid Flow Technology is designed to make hydrogen stations more efficient and cost-effective by using two nozzles in one, allowing one dispenser to serve both heavy-duty and light-duty vehicles, thus eliminating the need for separate pumps – boosting station throughput.
The hydrogen vehicles require no adaptation, and according to Toyota, all five major nozzle suppliers are already “mid flow ready”.
In simple terms:
- A 40-tonne hydrogen truck can refuel in minutes, matching diesel’s convenience,
- Stations can serve more vehicles per hour, reducing wait times,
- Lower infrastructure costs make hydrogen stations easier to deploy.
The testing and deployment plan
Toyota is supplying a test bench and a hydrogen truck equipped with Twin Mid Flow Technology, while HRS and ENGIE are developing the next-generation refuelling stations to match.
These stations will be trialled under the EU-funded RHeaDHy project, which focuses on optimising high-flow hydrogen refuelling for 700-bar trucks.
Testing kicks off in late 2025, with the goal of proving the system’s real-world performance and scalability.
Toyota’s Thiebault Paquet, VP of R&D, calls this partnership “a key step in expanding the hydrogen ecosystem”.
HRS CEO Hassen Rachedi sees it as a major milestone in scaling up infrastructure, while ENGIE’s Head of the H2 Mobility Research, Quentin Nouvelot, highlights its role in making hydrogen refuelling more efficient, accessible, and cost-effective.
Hydrogen’s next leap forward
For hydrogen to compete with diesel in freight transport, refuelling must be just as quick and seamless – and this partnership is delivering just that.
By making hydrogen stations faster, cheaper, and easier to deploy, Toyota, HRS, and ENGIE are laying the groundwork for a fully functional hydrogen transport ecosystem.
The first test stations are expected to go live in late 2025 and if all goes to plan, this could be the breakthrough that pushes hydrogen from an emerging technology to a practical, scalable solution for big rigs across Europe.
