© BMW

BMW, Hyundai, and Toyota have jointly launched the Hydrogen Transport Forum (HTF), a new industry coalition aimed at accelerating the rollout of hydrogen-powered vehicles and infrastructure in Australia. The initiative responds to a longstanding barrier in the country’s hydrogen strategy: while hydrogen production and export get most of the attention, local deployment remains stalled by a lack of infrastructure and coordination.

The Forum brings together three major automotive manufacturers with a clear goal — to shift hydrogen transport from pilot projects to operational reality. It will serve as a platform for aligning fleet deployment plans, coordinating infrastructure investment, advocating for targeted public funding, and improving stakeholder awareness of hydrogen’s role in decarbonizing transport.

“The HTF represents a proactive step toward industry-wide coordination and a genuine commitment to building the hydrogen refuelling and vehicle ecosystem needed to support Australia’s transport transition,” the founding companies said in a joint statement.

Backed by Automakers with Long-Term Hydrogen Investment

All three HTF members are investing in hydrogen as part of broader decarbonization strategies. While battery-electric remains central, hydrogen is seen as essential for heavy-duty, long-range, and high-utilization applications — areas where electric drivetrains face limits in refueling time, range, and payload.

Early Priorities: Clusters, Coordination, and Policy Support

The Forum’s early goals include: mapping out hydrogen demand clusters across Australia, sharing data on upcoming vehicle deployments, coordinating requests for government funding and policy backing, supporting practical education for stakeholders — including government, infrastructure developers, and fleet operators.

Scott Narger, Senior Manager of Future Mobility and Government Relations at Hyundai Motor Company Australia, stressed the importance of cross-brand infrastructure access. “We want to make sure there’s an effective deployment of infrastructure with as many brands running off those stations as possible because that justifies further investment,” he said.

Modeled on H2Accelerate, Adapted for Local Conditions

The HTF is modeled on Europe’s H2Accelerate initiative, which helped kick-start hydrogen trucking along key freight corridors by aligning OEMs and hydrogen suppliers. The Australian version aims to overcome a similar chicken-and-egg problem: operators won’t adopt hydrogen vehicles without refueling options, and investors won’t build stations without known demand.

Forum Will Expand to Logistics and Energy Sectors

While current membership includes only OEMs, the HTF plans to open up to logistics companies, hydrogen producers, infrastructure firms, and other relevant players. The focus is clear: deliver shared action to put hydrogen vehicles on the road and support them with usable, bankable infrastructure.