Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday it will supply its fuel cell vehicle technology to major Chinese automaker Beijing Automotive Group Co. as it seeks to expand business in the world's largest auto market by volume.
In the first such tie-up between Toyota and a Chinese automaker for hydrogen-powered vehicles, the commercial car division of Beijing Automotive Group will manufacture buses with Toyota's fuel cell system. The production of the buses may increase toward the Winter Olympics to be held in the Chinese capital in 2022.
Fuel cell technology, which converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, is attracting attention in China along with electric vehicles as the country seeks to address air pollution.
Toyota announced earlier this month that it is allowing royalty-free access to nearly 24,000 patents for electrified vehicles, such as gasoline-electric hybrids, seeking to become a "supplier" of low-emission technology as the industry adopts stricter emissions regulations.
The patents include those for the fuel cell vehicles.