Having invested heavily in hydrogen, a technology derided by Tesla Inc chief executive Elon Musk as “incredibly dumb,” Toyota Motor Corp is making a renewed push for fuel cell cars to fill a role in a future dominated by electric battery vehicles.
Japan’s biggest automaker believes both technologies — all-electric battery cars like the Tesla Model X on one hand and Toyota’s hydrogen Mirai on the other — will be needed to fully usurp gasoline cars.
“We don’t really see an adversary ‘zero-sum’ relationship between the EV [electric vehicle] and the hydrogen car,” Toyota chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada said ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show. “We’re not about to give up on hydrogen electric fuel-cell technology at all.”
Photo: Reuters
Toyota began pitching its fuel-cell car as a mainstream gasoline car alternative in 2014 when it launched the Mirai with a price tag of ￥7.24 million — almost US$70,000 at the time.
The car has since been launched in the US and other countries around the world, but initial excitement has faded as major markets including China and Europe have tilted heavily toward electric vehicles.
Just 4,300 Mirais have been sold, compared with about 4 million units of the Prius, Toyota’s blockbuster hybrid that ushered in the age of the EV.
Uchiyamada, who is known as the “father of the Prius,” says Toyota is not anti-EV and is investing heavily in technologies such all solid-state lithium-ion batteries to make them more desirable.
However, it also sees some advantages for hydrogen cars, which are propelled by electricity generated by fuel cells.
One major issue facing EVs is the length of time they take to charge — up to 18 hours in some cases — a problem being amplified as automakers pack in more batteries to extend range.
Rapid charging technology is helping to solve this issue.
However, a 30 to 40-minute wait is still too long for many ordinary drivers with busy lives, said Yoshikazu Tanaka, the chief engineer in charge of Toyota’s Mirai.
What is worse, rapid charging when used too often compromises battery life significantly, he and other engineers said.
While a hydrogen car can refuel in under five minutes, the high cost of the technology and a lack of refueling stations is a problem, something Toyota has been focused on addressing.
The company has joined forces in Japan with rivals Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co, and with energy companies such as JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy to build a network of refueling stations that now totals 91.
Making the fuel-cell system more efficient and trying to gain more propulsion power from a given amount of hydrogen will be key, Tanaka said.
He also wants to package the vehicle more efficiently to gain more storage space for larger fuel tanks.
Toyota says one of the most promising markets for hydrogen cars is China — a key advocate of electric cars, but one that is also beginning to embrace fuel-cell technology.
Shanghai last month announced plans to promote development of fuel-cell vehicles by adding hydrogen refueling stations, subsidizing companies developing fuel-cell technologies, and setting up research and development facilities.
Toyota was set to test hydrogen fuel-cell cars in China this month to determine the feasibility of selling the Mirai there.
DIVIDED VIEWS: Although the Fed agreed on holding rates steady, some officials see no rate cuts for this year, while 10 policymakers foresee two or more cuts There are a lot of unknowns about the outlook for the economy and interest rates, but US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled at least one thing seems certain: Higher prices are coming. Fed policymakers voted unanimously to hold interest rates steady at a range of 4.25 percent to 4.50 percent for a fourth straight meeting on Wednesday, as they await clarity on whether tariffs would leave a one-time or more lasting mark on inflation. Powell said it is still unclear how much of the bill would fall on the shoulders of consumers, but he expects to learn more about tariffs
NOT JUSTIFIED: The bank’s governor said there would only be a rate cut if inflation falls below 1.5% and economic conditions deteriorate, which have not been detected The central bank yesterday kept its key interest rates unchanged for a fifth consecutive quarter, aligning with market expectations, while slightly lowering its inflation outlook amid signs of cooling price pressures. The move came after the US Federal Reserve held rates steady overnight, despite pressure from US President Donald Trump to cut borrowing costs. Central bank board members unanimously voted to maintain the discount rate at 2 percent, the secured loan rate at 2.375 percent and the overnight lending rate at 4.25 percent. “We consider the policy decision appropriate, although it suggests tightening leaning after factoring in slackening inflation and stable GDP growth,”
Greek tourism student Katerina quit within a month of starting work at a five-star hotel in Halkidiki, one of the country’s top destinations, because she said conditions were so dire. Beyond the bad pay, the 22-year-old said that her working and living conditions were “miserable and unacceptable.” Millions holiday in Greece every year, but its vital tourism industry is finding it harder and harder to recruit Greeks to look after them. “I was asked to work in any department of the hotel where there was a need, from service to cleaning,” said Katerina, a tourism and marketing student, who would
i Gasoline and diesel prices at fuel stations are this week to rise NT$0.1 per liter, as tensions in the Middle East pushed crude oil prices higher last week, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) and Formosa Petrochemical Corp (台塑石化) said yesterday. International crude oil prices last week rose for the third consecutive week due to an escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, as the market is concerned that the situation in the Middle East might affect crude oil supply, CPC and Formosa said in separate statements. Front-month Brent crude oil futures — the international oil benchmark — rose 3.75 percent to settle at US$77.01
RSS