The announcement was made this Wednesday by Toyota Caetano Portugal, which, together with the CaetanoBus bus division, integrates the Salvador Caetano group.
Taking advantage of the Energy Observer's passage through Portuguese waters, the first vessel powered by hydrogen autonomously and without polluting gas emissions , Toyota Caetano Portugal revealed that CaetanoBus will be the first European company not only to produce, but also to market in Europe, passenger buses equipped with Toyota Motor Company's hydrogen fuel cell technology.
In the statement, Toyota Caetano Portugal also reveals that, thanks to the agreement reached, the Japanese car manufacturer will supply its "leading fuel cell technology", "hydrogen tanks and other key components", to CaetanoBus, in order to that “the first zero emission fuel cell buses start to leave the lines of CaetanoBus at the end of next year, destined for the European market”.
Toyota Caetano PortugalWith this partnership, Toyota reinforces its contribution to the creation of a society based on hydrogen, promoting fuel cell technology applied to other means of transport than just light passenger vehicles.
“Hydrogen is a great solution for buses”
Speaking to journalists, the president of Salvador Caetano Indústria, José Ramos, said he is “very proud” that the company he leads is “ first in Europe to benefit from Toyota's leading fuel cell technology ”, assuring, then, that the Portuguese company will do everything to “demonstrate the capabilities of excellence” gathered over more than 60 years in the manufacture of buses. Even because, he added, "we believe that the hydrogen is a great solution for zero emission buses”.Toyota Motor Europe Executive President Johan Van Zyl said that “we are really excited to see our long-time partner's first buses on European roads”, not forgetting that “hydrogen buses have advantages significant compared to other zero-emission vehicles, namely, superior autonomy and reduced refueling time ”. A fact that allows them, for example, to “operate on longer routes”, with “greater use”.
At the project presentation event, Toyota Caetano Portugal also revealed that the bet now taken, which was given the name of Fuel Cell Bus, intends to be a response to the environmental goals imposed by the European Union on cities , until 2050. It is also one more step in the efforts to decarbonise cities, “the great theme of this century”, defended the Secretary of State for the Environment, José Mendes, also present at the initiative.
Portuguese government wants decarbonised public transport
Recalling that the transport sector is responsible, nowadays, for “ 15% of CO2 emissions ”, the government official also defended that, “if nothing is done, we can easily go from the current eight gigatonnes worldwide, to 15 or 16. This, despite the Paris Agreement predicting a sevenfold reduction in emissions”.
On the part of the Portuguese Government, measures to combat this threat should go through the “ rationalization of transport, attracting more users to public transport ”. Measure that must be accompanied by the " provision of public transport with decarbonised engines ”, adds the Secretary of State.
However, the Government has already acquired “10 new and less polluting ships for Transtejo”, while, “ from 2030 onwards, there will no longer be new vehicles in the Public Administration running on fossil fuels ”. “It is certain that we will continue to live with Diesel for a few more years, after which a phase out process will follow. Something that, even so, should take time more than a decade”.
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Mobi.e — electricity will start to be paid in November
As for electric mobility, it was also announced that Mobi.e will start charging the electricity made available through its electric vehicle charging stations, as of next November.
In October, the dissemination of the operators and the conditions under which the market will operate.