Toyota isn't "giving up" on hydrogen power while also confirming more battery EVs are on the way.

The confirmation came from the carmaker's European bosses who played down recent rumours that Toyota was retreating from hydrogen powered cars due to its Mirai FCEV (fuel cell electric vehicle) not hitting sales targets.

Speaking at the Kenshiki Forum – a special event showcasing future Toyota and Lexus models – in Brussels last week, Yoshihiro Nakata, President and CEO, Toyota Motor Europe, said: "We are not giving up on hydrogen...momentum is growing and we are receiving more and more inquiries about our technology and products. We need to collaborate with like-minded partners to establish a hydrogen society."

Sales of Mirai FCEV haven't hit targets

The Japanese automotive giant will create a new hydrogen facility to build more fuel cell systems to support hydrogen passenger cars, commercial vehicles and other forms of transport. In 2026 Toyota will launch a third generation of its FCEV technology, and the company is also analysing hydrogen-powered combustion engined cars for motorsport. Meanwhile, Toyota GB is currently testing a hydrogen fuel cell Hilux pick-up. 

Head of Fuel Cell Business at Toyota Motor Europe, Thiebault Paquet, said: "We will maintain our positioning in passenger cars, while also developing hydrogen-powered heavy goods vehicles. Work continues on both."There are challenges with [hydrogen fuel cell] passenger cars – the bottleneck is infrastructure and availability – but we will not stop. There is a lot to research and we do not need to close doors. This is not black and white – we need to develop solutions for all customers."

Alongside committing to hydrogen, Toyota is ramping up development of battery electric vehicles – a sector it has left to rival carmakers in recent years while it concentrated on hybrids and hydrogen FCEVs.

It plans to build cheaper batteries from 2026, while from 2027 the carmaker intends to introduce solid state batteries with ultra-fast charging capability and over 1,000km (620 miles) of range.

Toyota will bring to market six new electric cars over the next few years, starting with a compact SUV which will debut next year.