Toyota Motor Corp., which produces the Mirai fuel cell sedan, has joined together with several other companies and automakers to launch a global initiative to promote hydrogen technology and help achieve the ambitious goal of reaching the 2 degrees Celsius target as agreed in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
As reported, the “Hydrogen Council” is made up of CEOs and chairpersons from 13 energy, industry and transport companies that are working together to position hydrogen among the key solutions of the energy transition.
In addition to Toyota, the international companies currently involved are Air Liquide, rail company Alstom, miner Anglo American Plc, BMW Group, Daimler, electric utility Engie SA, Honda, Hyundai Motor, motorcycle and heavy equipment manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Royal Dutch Shell, The Linde Group, and Total SA.
The council is led by two co-chairs from different geographies and sectors, currently represented by Air Liquide and Toyota.
“The Hydrogen Council will exhibit responsible leadership in showcasing hydrogen technology and its benefits to the world. It will seek collaboration, cooperation and understanding from governments, industry and, most importantly, the public. At Toyota, we have always tried to play a leading role in environmental and technological advances in the automotive industry, including through the introduction of fuel cell vehicles,” says Takeshi Uchiyamada, chairman for Toyota.
“The 2015 Paris Agreement to combat climate change is a significant step in the right direction but requires business action to be taken to make such a pledge a reality,” says Benoît Potier, CEO for Air Liquide. “The Hydrogen Council brings together some of the world’s leading industrial, automotive and energy companies, with a clear ambition to explain why hydrogen emerges among the key solutions for the energy transition in the mobility, as well as in the power, industrial and residential, sectors and, therefore, requires the development of new strategies at a scale to support this.
“But, we cannot do it alone. We need governments to back hydrogen with actions of their own – for example, through large-scale infrastructure investment schemes,” he adds. “Our call today to world leaders is to commit to hydrogen so that together, we can meet our shared climate ambitions and give further traction to the emerging hydrogen ecosystem.”
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