Air Liquide collaborates with Itochu to scale up Japan hydrogen mobility markets

Air Liquide Japan and Itochu Corporation (Itochu) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development of hydrogen mobility markets in Japan.

Air Liquide Japan and Itochu will initially focus on the development of the hydrogen retail infrastructure in Japan, both for passenger vehicles and for the new fleets of commercial vehicles (trucks, busses). The objective is to expand this retail infrastructure and develop a competitive hydrogen supply offer for passenger and commercial end-users, in collaboration with public authorities, allowing a rapid ramp-up of hydrogen mobility in Japan. The two companies will investigate more globally the opportunities to scale up the hydrogen supply chain in support of the Japan Government hydrogen roadmap.

This collaboration will leverage the expertise and technologies of Air Liquide across the hydrogen supply chain and the large footprint of Itochu Group across multiple energy sectors, from fuel retail business to renewable energy production plants.

This collaboration comes after the recent announcement by the Japanese Government of the Green Society plan, to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, in which hydrogen is anticipated to take a key role. Under this plan, the Japanese government will ban the sales of vehicles which completely run on fossil fuels after 2035, pushing for the transportation sector to make a shift toward battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles.

François Abrial, Member of the Air Liquide Group’s Executive Committee supervising Asia Pacific, said:

“The fight against climate change is at the heart of Air Liquide 's strategy. Hydrogen is projected to play a key role in supporting energy transition and the emergence of a carbon-neutral society. With this collaboration,  we seek  to jointly accelerate the development of Hydrogen mobility markets in Japan, leveraging our complementary technology portfolios and know-how across the entire hydrogen value chain. ”