TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Toyota hydrogen car by 2014
Emission-free Toyota promises convenience and cruising range of petrol-engined vehicles next yearThe Tokyo motor show was the venue for Toyota’s unveiling of its latest generation Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) Concept hydrogen-powered car it says will go into production in “around 12 months.”
With a projected touring range of “at least” 500km and a three-minute refuelling time, the upcoming Toyota sedan is claimed to combine conventional engine convenience with zero exhaust emissions.
Hydrogen is seen in many circles as the ideal fuel because the only product emitted at the tailpipe is water.
The four-seat FCV sedan is expected to be priced below $A108,000 when introduced in four major Japanese cities: Tokyo, Chukyo, Kansai and Fukuoka, as well as in selected areas in the USA and Europe with adequate hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.
Toyota says that although the FCV Concept’s wheelbase is similar to the current Camry, the car is longer, taller and narrower.
Toyota used its own lightweight fuel-cell stack with a power density of 3kW per litre for a total output of “at least” 100kW, and two 70 MegaPascal high-pressure hydrogen tanks.
According to Toyota, the concept car’s exterior design is meant to "convey the key characteristics of a fuel-cell vehicle: converting air into water as the system produces electricity, and the powerful acceleration enabled by the electric drive motor”.
The company says it “hopes to introduce tens of thousands of [hydrogen] vehicles annually” as it heads towards what it predicts as widespread use of hydrogen as a fuel from the 2020s.
Toyota Australia’s Executive Director for Sales and Marketing, Tony Cramb, said “It is a natural step for Toyota to consider alternate fuels such as hydrogen because of its enormous potential in supporting energy diversification and zero emissions while offering the same convenience as today’s petrol-powered cars”.
The Japanese car giant is also experimenting with hydrogen-powered homes. The company says a fully-fuelled FCV would be able to provide enough energy to “meet the daily needs of an average Japanese house (10kWh) for more than a week”. How it intends to implement this remains to be seen.
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