Toyota and Hyroad to scale H2 trucking in California
Hyroad will provide trucks, maintenance, data and software services to support Toyota’s logistics operations. The Nikola Tre FCEV tractor units, with a continuous output of 400 kW and a range of 800 kilometres, were purchased from Nikola Motor‘s insolvency auction in August 2025. Shortly after the purchase, Hyroad announced an expansion of its service offerings to include comprehensive maintenance and support services for existing Nikola truck owners. This includes software solutions for fleet management, repair services and parts supply.
Toyota has announced it will be supplying hydrogen fuel through its own refuelling infrastructure, which is currently under development in Ontario, California. Together, Toyota and Hyroad are collaborating on the interconnected pieces required for a functioning hydrogen trucking ecosystem — vehicles, software and fuel supply — under a single commercial framework.
This time last year, Toyota agreed a strategic cooperation with Sinotruk, the largest manufacturer of heavy trucks in China. Both sides are working together on the development of fuel cell commercial vehicles for China, with a particular focus on heavy-duty trucks. Toyota’s third-generation fuel cell system is to be introduced mainly in Japan, Europe, North America and China from 2026.
Toyota not only uses its fuel cell systems itself, but also offers them to third-party customers. In the passenger car sector, BMW is a Toyota partner; in the bus sector, the Portuguese manufacturer Caetano Bus and Karsan from Turkey use Toyota systems. In the truck sector, VDL, Paccar and Hyliko are already customers.
In this case, the trucks to operate in California are coming from Nikola, while Toyota makes use of its planned hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in the state. The Nikola trucks will not be the only fuel cell vehicles on the road; fuel cell buses and fuel cell trucks from Hyundai, among others, are operating in the state. California was able to begin laying the foundations for H2 infrastructure before President Trump scrapped the country’s Hydrogen Strategy, which had been aiming to build long-distance hydrogen-fuelled freight corridors across the country between hydrogen hubs.
“Toyota has done exactly what great allies do — they’ve brought genuine hydrogen expertise to the table and made thoughtful, strategic decisions,” said Dmitry Serov, founder and CEO of Hyroad Energy. “They’re not waiting for someone else to build this ecosystem. They’re investing in it directly, and that’s what makes this meaningful. When fueling, vehicles, software, and operational commitment all come together, hydrogen trucking works.”
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