Fuerteventura Pioneers Green Hydrogen Mobility in the Canaries
Fuerteventura has taken a decisive step to position itself at the forefront of Europe’s energy transition. The island presented on Friday the archipelago’s first green hydrogen-based mobility ecosystem, a pioneering project that combines the Canary Islands’ first operational hydrogen refuelling station with a rental car company powered by a fleet of hydrogen vehicles, unique in Spain and unprecedented in the tourist rental sector. The project is led by IR Maxoinversiones in partnership with Repsol and Toyota Canarias.
More Than Infrastructure: A Real-World Solution
The presentation event, held in the municipality of Pájara, showcased an ambition that goes far beyond the inauguration of a single piece of infrastructure. It is an initiative born in Fuerteventura, from the island’s reality, but with international aspirations. The project connects local green hydrogen production, zero-emission mobility, and the creation of skilled jobs. It is a model conceived not as a pilot project, but as a real-world solution already in operation.
“This project turns Fuerteventura into an international benchmark energy laboratory,” stated IR Maxoinversiones’s service station manager, Erika Ruiz, during the presentation. She insisted that “the mobility of the future requires technological vision, infrastructure, training, and commitment.”
The First Hydrogen Refuelling Network
The hydrogen station, operational since 2024, is the first in the Canary Islands capable of supplying hydrogen at 700 bar, a capacity necessary for fuel cell vehicles to operate under conditions similar to conventional fuels. Its launch marks the beginning of a network that will expand in the coming months with the installation of two new stations, one in the north and another in the centre of the island.
This will give Fuerteventura three green hydrogen supply points, placing it among Spain’s most advanced territories in this technology. This deployment will supply not only rental vehicles but also professional fleets and, in a later phase, intermodal transport. The goal is to create a complete ecosystem that addresses the real mobility needs of an island heavily dependent on road transport and tourism, without sacrificing the protection of its particularly fragile natural environment.
A Unique Fleet for Tourist Rentals
One of the project’s most striking elements is the launch of a rental car service with an initial fleet of 50 zero-emission vehicles, 30 of which are newly incorporated. These are Toyota Mirai models, powered by green hydrogen, which emit only water vapour while driving. They offer a range of over 650 kilometres and can refuel in less than five minutes, characteristics that make them a viable alternative for the intensive use demanded by tourist rentals.
The presence of a fleet of this size dedicated exclusively to rentals makes Fuerteventura a practically unique case internationally. There are no similar experiences in the rental sector beyond taxi fleets or corporate vehicles in large cities.
A Multi-Technology Strategy for the Future
For Toyota Canarias, this initiative aligns with its multi-technology mobility strategy, based on the coexistence of different solutions—electrification, hydrogen, and renewable fuels—to ensure an accessible energy transition adapted to different user profiles. “We haven’t just jumped on the bandwagon now. Toyota has been developing hybrid vehicles since the 1990s and we are global leaders in electrification, and hydrogen is a technology that is part of our project,” said the CEO of Toyota Canarias, Ismael Alemán, during the presentation.
Repsol also applauded this plural approach, as alongside the development of green hydrogen, the project incorporates the use of renewable fuels already available in the Canary Islands’ service station network. These can reduce CO₂ emissions immediately without the need to replace vehicles or increase costs for the user. “The future lies in innovative projects like this one, with a multi-energy vision where you offer the customer the possibility to choose with which technology they want to decarbonise,” pointed out Repsol’s General Customer Director, Valero Marín.
Institutional Backing for a Landmark Project
The private sector did not want to miss the event many described as “historic,” and institutional support was also present. The President of the Fuerteventura Island Council, Lola García, highlighted the added value of such a significant initiative being born on a non-capital island and in the south of the island, contributing to generating quality employment, retaining young talent, and diversifying the local economy.
Similarly, the Mayor of Pájara, Alejandro Jorge, focused on the personal and family effort behind business investments that bet on creating a future in the territory. For his part, the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, stressed that projects like this place Fuerteventura on the international map not only as a tourist destination but also as a benchmark for innovation and sustainable mobility. “Collaboration between companies and administrations is one of the keys to making this type of initiative a reality,” stated the Canary Islands president.
This pioneering project in Fuerteventura demonstrates that hydrogen is no longer a theory of the future, but a reality that can play a fundamental role in the development of mobility in the Canary Islands.
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