[Photo via Xinhua News Agency]

Japanese auto giant Toyota has begun operation of its Phase I fuel cell research and development (R&D) and production project in Beijing, said local authorities in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area on Tuesday.

As one of the largest foreign-invested projects introduced by Beijing in the field of hydrogen energy, this project is expected to accelerate the resolution of industrialization challenges for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles while also promoting the development of the hydrogen energy industry.

Toyota Motor Corp. and SinoHytec, a Beijing-based technology company, have joined forces to launch the project. Its factory covers an area of 113,000 square meters, with the first phase spanning 44,000 square meters.

The Phase I project is primarily dedicated to the R&D and production of hydrogen fuel cell systems and stacks with a maximum annual production capacity of 10,000 units of fuel cell products.

With the launch of the project, the hydrogen fuel cell system TL Power 150 has become the first product to roll off its assembly line. This product has a rated power of 150 kilowatts, enabling heavy commercial vehicles to operate using hydrogen energy.

The second phase of the project is scheduled to start construction in 2026, said local authorities.