The Warehouse Group joins Kiwi brands for hydrogen car share partnership

The Warehouse Group is partnering with iconic Kiwi companies in The Hydrogen Project - a car-sharing scheme that trials new hydrogen technology as a solution to reduce carbon emissions.

The project is a New Zealand first and being led by Toyota, in partnership between The Warehouse Group, Air New Zealand, Saatchi & Saatchi, TVNZ, Beca, Westpac, Spark and Z Energy NZ.

The fleet of hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai will be shared between each of the businesses during the trial period in the first commercial application of hydrogen fuel cell technology in the country. These are full cell electric vehicles that use hydrogen as energy, and the only emission it produces is water through its tailpipe.

Nick Grayston, Chief Executive Officer at The Warehouse Group says Aotearoa’s transition to a low-carbon future requires innovation, new technology and cross-sector collaboration.

“The trial of hydrogen technology to reduce transport emissions is an important step towards realising the potential this solution could offer as we work together to reduce New Zealand’s carbon footprint.

Mobility and sustainable fuel sources are a key area that we need to tackle and at TWG, we are committed to leading the country’s transformation to a low carbon economy,” Grayston says.

Car-sharing using hydrogen vehicles is not a common practice globally, so this project will trial how it will work to enhance each company's emission reductions and determine how it could be a potential solution to reduce Aotearoa's carbon footprint.

Neeraj Lala, Chief Executive Officer at Toyota New Zealand says they are focused on looking at other opportunities to trial the applications of hydrogen technology outside of the automotive sector.

“Toyota is committed to providing a diversified range of carbon-neutral options to meet the needs of every country and region. The use of hydrogen as a fuel for transport is also about having cleaner air to breathe in our cities by reducing other gases and polluting particles from combustion engines.

“These Kiwi companies have joined together to demonstrate the commercial possibilities of hydrogen technology in a real-world trial. Toyota and our Hydrogen Project members are committed to a carbon-neutral future.

“We are excited to continue to support the advancement of hydrogen technology in New Zealand as members of the NZ Hydrogen Council,” Lala says.

The Warehouse Group has been carbon neutral since 2019 and were the third major global retailer and first large company in Aotearoa to achieve this status. With a target to reduce emissions by 32 percent by 2030 (from our 2015 base level), The Warehouse group is committed to continuing to implement sustainable practices such as transitioning light fleet to be fully carbon zero by 2025 and continuing to make sustainable living easy and affordable for everyone.