Toyota Motor Corporation debuted a new hydrogen fuel cell (FC) system at a trade show in Tokyo on the 19th. The system improves range by about 20% and reduces costs, which was one of the challenges in realizing a hydrogen energy society. The system can be used not only in passenger cars, but also in commercial vehicles such as large trucks, for which demand is expected to increase. Toyota plans to launch the system in Japan, Europe, North America, China and other markets from 2026.
The new FC system can change the number of parts called “Cell” according to the size of the vehicle, and can be used in a wide range of vehicles from large to small. The durability of the new FC system has also been doubled, with a driving range of more than 1 million kilometers.
“Mitsuyoshi Yamagata, president of the Toyota Hydrogen Factory, was speaking at the show. According to Yamagata, drivers who test drove trucks equipped with the previous FC system expressed their satisfaction with the performance of the hydrogen vehicles by saying, “The driving is smooth, I don’t feel fatigue, there is less vibration, and the cargo doesn’t spread out easily.
On the other hand, Yamagata explained that there were also harsh opinions about the hydrogen energy used as fuel and the high price of the vehicle, and said that the new system “will address the issues raised by customers by realizing a significant reduction in cost through new technology cell design and adjustments to the manufacturing process.”