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NEWS
Toyota to deliver on hydrogen promise
Production fuel cell car to enter production before the end of 2014Toyota is holding its cards close to the chest, but a source close to the company claims the FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle) will begin arriving in Japanese showrooms this December.
Unlike other companies that have been building fuel cell vehicles in small numbers – and for lease – Toyota plans to jump in, boots and all, marketing the FCV much like a conventional car, albeit with an initial monthly production run of just 50 cars.
Toyota will reportedly sell the hydrogen-powered sedans in Japan's four largest cities, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka, where dozens of hydrogen refuelling stations have sprung up over the last 5 years in anticipation of this day. Furthermore, the Japanese government and related companies have just announced plans to construct at least 100 more hydrogen refuelling stations in major cities by the end of 2015.
Initial customers are expected to be government agencies and wealthy individuals looking to try out what Toyota thinks will be the future of the automobile.
After launching the fuel cell cars in Japan, several other markets – including the US and Europe – can expect to see FCVs appearing on the road by early 2015.
In Australia, a distinct lack of infrastructure – and hydrogen filling stations to be precise – means the FCV remains a remote prospect for the moment.
In bringing the FCV to market, Toyota is holding true to the promise made back in 2009 by the company's advanced powertrain expert, Bill Reinert, who told Australian journalists at the time that Toyota would be selling a fuel cell vehicle by 2015.
Even further back, in 1997, Toyota put hybrid cars on the map with its ground-breaking Prius. Now, some 17 years later, Japan's No 1 car maker is planning to do the same with FCVs.
The FCV concept was unveiled to the world's media at last year's Tokyo Motor Show (pictured), offering a first-hand look at the cleaning-running car with the projected range of a petrol-engined vehicle. With just 5kg of hydrogen on board, the FCV boasts a range exceeding 500km.
Fuel cell vehicles are fitted with a stack that collects electricity from the electrolytic process in which hydrogen recombines with oxygen to form water. The electric current is stored in a series of batteries that drive an electric motor to power the car's drivetrain, or the charge can be sent directly to the electric motor when additional power is required.
Even as recently as 2009, an FCV prototype was conservatively valued at over $1 million due to the state-of-the-art technology employed. But Toyota has drawn on its expertise in hybrids to ensure the first viable production fuel cell car will sell below $100,000 when it lands in Japan's showrooms towards the end of this year. We can expect a similar figure for export models as well.
FCV's cost will be further lowered thanks to the Japanese government's low emissions subsidy and tax break system that combines to deduct up to $4500 off the price of a new car.
Picture courtesy Noah Joseph/AOL
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Written byPeter Lyon
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