Tolosa will support First Hydrogen’s development of hydrogen fuel cell-powered light commercial vehicles (LCV).

It’s a role that he brings a wealth of automotive experience to – for the last 16 years, Tolosa has been responsible for hydrogen vehicle development projects at BMW Group (BMW), including the development of the unique BMW iX5 Hydrogen small series.

With First Hydrogen, he will provide leadership and direction in all areas of powertrain technology, innovation and engineering application through to production and post-production. Specifically, he will be responsible for implementing the technology, product and business strategy.

Steve Gill, CEO at First Hydrogen Automotive, enthused, “We are thrilled to welcome Manuel aboard, not only does he have an impressive knowledge of powertrain engineering, but he has extensive experience in hydrogen vehicle development and storage technology from one of the biggest, global automotive brands.

“His expertise will undoubtedly support us to develop an outstanding fleet of hydrogen vehicles and help commercial drivers to transition to high-performing, zero-emissions transport.”

In his most recent role, as programme manager for Fuel Cell System and Hydrogen Storage at BMW, Tolosa directed the main development strategies for the next generation of vehicles. He also led BMW’s long-term cooperation with Toyota Motor Corporation from a technical perspective and helped to align battery electric vehicle (BEV) and fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) platforms for their common use.

During his time at BMW, Tolosa developed the core power train components for passenger cars, led the technical development of the primary parts in all demonstrator projects, re-designed the liquid hydrogen tank integrated into the Hydrogen 7 fleet, and first introduced fuel cell systems and compressed gas tanks into a number of vehicles – including the BMW 5 Series GT FCEV hydrogen fuel cell prototypes.

Speaking of his new role, Tolosa, himself added, “Light and medium-duty commercial vehicles represent one of the best mobility applications for integrating hydrogen power trains, making it a 100% zero-emission segment. Fuel cell systems are well suited to meet the technological boundaries and specifications required of this vehicle class, as well as their different use cases.

“I am excited to work with First Hydrogen to establish a leadership position in the design and commercialisation of hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles. I am looking forward to bringing all my expertise and skills to deliver the products demanded by the market and our future customers.”