Hydrogenics : takes delivery of Toyota’s first hydrogen powered car (Mirai) in Belgium

May 30, 2016
Hydrogenics takes delivery of Toyota's first hydrogen powered car (Mirai) in Belgium

Hydrogenics Corporation (NASDAQ:HYGS; TSX:HYG), a leading developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation technology and hydrogen fuel cell power modules is proud to be the very first customer in Belgium to take ownership of the Toyota Mirai. The Mirai, which means 'future' in Japanese, is an electric car powered by hydrogen and is Toyota's first hydrogen fuel cell car.

David Willems (left), Marketing Director Toyota Belgium delivers the Toyota Mirai to Filip Smeets (right), Managing Director Hydrogenics Belgium

After receiving the keys to the Mirai, Filip Smeets, Managing Director of Hydrogenics Europe commented: 'As a pioneering company in the field of renewable hydrogen, we are delighted to be the first customer of the Toyota Mirai in Belgium. We are convinced that hydrogen mobility will become the most attractive green mobility option, thanks to an extended driving range and short refueling time. We are now actively preparing the hydrogen refueling infrastructure to ensure people can easily refuel their hydrogen cars in Belgium and all across Europe. We aim to inspire others to also take actions to help mitigate the impact of climate change.'

Toyota has been engaged in the research and development of automotive hydrogen fuel cell technology for over 20 years. The result of this hard work is the Toyota Mirai, a remarkable zero emission car with a driving range of up to 550km that can be refueled in 3 to 5 minutes. Toyota started commercializing the Mirai in 2015 and to date has delivered its car in Japan, California, Germany, UK and Denmark. Toyota is now continuing its hydrogen expansion in Belgium, just after the opening of the first public hydrogen refueling station in Zaventem in April 2016: http://blog.toyota.eu/green/belgium-is-connecting-to-the-growing-european-hydrogen-station-network-with-1st-public-station-in-zaventem/.
The Flemish government has confirmed its' support to open 20 public hydrogen refueling stations in Flanders by 2020, which would be sufficient to offer a hydrogen refueling station to everyone in Flanders within a radius of 25 km. Like battery electric cars, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are exempt from registration fees and traffic tax in Flanders.

Bart Tommelein, Vice-Minister President of the Flemish Region and Flemish Minister in charge of Finance, Budget and Energy has declared: 'Green cars are the future. They ensure a decrease of fine particles' concentration and improve air quality for us, our children and the future generations. Hydrogen cars play here a determining role. The advantages are the absence of emissions, except harmless water vapor as by-product! They are therefore more respectful of the environment than a diesel or gasoline car. This is the reason why the Flemish Government encourages the buying of green cars. The delivery of this first hydrogen Mirai model by Toyota to Hydrogenics is a new step in the renewal of our automotive park in a more ecologic perspective'.

During a small ceremony that followed the delivery of the Mirai to Hydrogenics, David Willems, Marketing Director from Toyota Belgium said: 'We are pleased to deliver the first Mirai in Belgium to Hydrogenics, a leader in hydrogen technology. We believe hydrogen is an excellent answer to the key environmental challenges we are facing today, such as climate change, air quality and energy security. Toyota has made a clear commitment to reduce the CO2 emissions of its new vehicles by 90% before 2050. We believe hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be essential to achieve our ambitious targets.'

More information on the Toyota Mirai:
http://press.toyota.be/dossier-de-presse-toyota-mirai#

Functioning of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSxPkyZOU7E&list=PL86gaA2f5giMk4cSjXDI1p3MzOYnJIV3j&index=2

About Hydrogenics
Hydrogenics Corporation (www.hydrogenics.com) is a world leader in engineering and building the technologies required to enable the acceleration of a global power shift. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Hydrogenics provides hydrogen generation, energy storage and hydrogen power modules to its customers and partners around the world. Hydrogenics has manufacturing sites in Belgium, Germany and Canada and service centers in Russia, China, India, Europe, the US and Canada.

About Toyota
Toyota is one of the three largest car manufacturers worldwide and is responsible for the Toyota and Lexus brands. Toyota expects reducing the carbon footprint of its sold vehicles by 90% before 2050 and is market leader for hybrid cars. In Belgium, Toyota employs directly 4 750 people.

For more information, please contact :

Denis Thomas - Renewable Hydrogen, EU Regulatory Affairs & Business Development Manager, Hydrogenics Europe NV : +32-479.909.129 : dthomas@hydrogenics.com