Johnson Matthey has announced a major upgrade to its Gothenburg facility, expanding its capabilities to support testing of hydrogen internal combustion engines (H₂ICE) as part of efforts to develop cleaner mobility solutions. The facility, already home to diesel engine test cells for both heavy- and light-duty vehicles, will now be able to conduct full-scale H₂ICE engine testing for the first time. The new test area is expected to be operational by autumn 2025.
The upgrade will enable Johnson Matthey to assess catalyst performance within complete engine aftertreatment and control systems, generating critical data for hydrogen mobility development. This follows the company’s successful collaboration with Cummins, PHINIA, and Zircotec through Project Brunel, which concluded in March 2025 and delivered significant performance and durability improvements for hydrogen engines.
“The upgrade of our testing capabilities in Gothenburg to include H₂ICE is a real show of our backing to this technology, as we seek to unleash the potential of hydrogen mobility,” said Tauseef Salma, Chief Technology Officer at Johnson Matthey Clean Air. “Across Europe and elsewhere, we cannot rely on battery electric vehicles alone to solve our challenges. H₂ICE is already a ready-to-go technology with hydrogen solutions in road transport maturing, reliable and essential if we are to meet our decarbonization and climate goals.”
The enhanced testing area will feature its own hydrogen supply and storage system rated up to 500 bar, a compressor, hydrogen flow meters and analyzers, advanced safety systems including gas and fire detection sensors, and upgraded exhaust measurement tools. The new test cell will support H₂ICE engines with power ratings up to 600 kW (800 hp).
Johnson Matthey is also a founding member of the Global Hydrogen Mobility Alliance, a coalition of more than 30 companies—including BMW, Toyota, Hyundai, Air Liquide, and Linde—working to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen solutions in Europe’s transport sector. The group is urging policymakers to integrate hydrogen into the European Union’s decarbonization and industrial strategies.