Toyota’s hydrogen chief has warned that vehicles powered by the green fuel could suffer the same fate as battery-powered electric cars, with Chinese groups rapidly dominating supply chains and exports unless other countries step up investment in the technology.

Mitsumasa Yamagata, president of the Japanese carmaker’s hydrogen arm, said China was taking a lead in infrastructure for hydrogen trucks, reducing fuel costs to a third of Japan’s and rapidly building refuelling stations. China already accounts for most of the world’s hydrogen commercial vehicle sales.

“All stakeholders moving at once is the most important thing for bringing the cost of hydrogen down,” Yamagata said. “China is the most advanced in the world for hydrogen trucks. Why they’re that advanced is because the Chinese government ordered turning major logistics routes into hydrogen highways.”