Sasol & Toyota to develop a green hydrogen mobility ecosystem in SA

South African energy and chemicals conglomerate, Sasol, will partner with  Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) to develop a pilot project for the development of a green hydrogen mobility ecosystem in South Africa. Sasol made the announcement on Wednesday that it aspires to play a leading role in the establishment of a green hydrogen economy for South Africa. 

We believe hydrogen mobility is a real opportunity for the country to decarbonise

Fleetwood Grobler, Sasol President and CEO

“We are excited about the partnership with Sasol, which we hope will assist in scaling up investment in critical infrastructure such as charging stations and the fuel itself,” said Andrew Kirby, President and CEO of Toyota South Africa Motors.“We are therefore pleased to hear of Sasol’s aspirations and commitment to green hydrogen, as this fits in with Toyota’s global agenda towards a cleaner and greener future. It also made sense to partner with Sasol, given its commitment to develop hydrogen mobility infrastructure in South Africa, which is a much needed enabler to introduce hydrogen products to the country.” he Kirby added.

As part of the pilot project, Sasol and Toyota will develop a mobility corridor for hydrogen powered heavy-duty long-haul trucks in South Africa’s main freight corridors, such as the N3 route between Durban and Johannesburg.

“Our partnership with Toyota, which will include other partners over time, aims to build a sustainable end-to-end infrastructure for hydrogen mobility, initially focused on piloting the concept,” said Fleetwood Grobler, Sasol President and CEO.

Introducing Toyota Fuel Cell trucks in South Africa

Through the pilot project, Sasol and Toyota plan to introduce Toyota fuel cell (FC) trucks in South Africa. Toyota is currently developing a prototype in Japan which they hope to introduce as soon as it’s available. In addition, the parties are evaluating the installation of a hydrogen refuelling station for the demonstration project. TSAM will lead the investigation of the FC truck introduction, with Sasol supporting in providing the required infrastructure expertise.

“Hydrogen and electric vehicles with refuelling and charging infrastructure form part of this sustainable future.  We believe hydrogen mobility is a real opportunity for the country to decarbonise the sectors of long-haul and heavy-duty transport, mining and others and see the creation of hydrogen hubs, or ecosystems, as a practical and affordable way to scale the deployment of hydrogen in the transport sector,” said Fleetwood Grobler, Sasol President and CEO.

Green hydrogen is expected to be critical in tackling much of the world’s energy challenges, and is positioned for rapid global growth as the pathway of choice to decarbonise sectors such long-haul transport and other sectors where carbon emissions reduction is proving difficult. Analysts expect South Africa to be globally competitive in the green hydrogen markets based on its vast renewable energy potential.