Toyota Unveils Hydrogen/Electric Car at CES 2014!
Okay, we all want really cool electric cars! Well, we do! At least I do! And, at this year’s CES Toyota announced a new hydrogen powered electric car that looks really cool. Plus, it was announced that this car will be available in 2015. Yes, that is future, but not distant future! So, that means before too long we will actually be able to drive a 300 mile range electric car powered by hydrogen fuel cells that is actually practical. Of course, what will make it more practical, is having fuel stations to buy the hydrogen that powers the fuel cell that makes the car work. Hopefully this will happen over time. California has an initiative to spend $200 million installing hydrogen stations throughout the state, starting in Southern California and expanding from there. Whether other states will get on board with this initiative remains to be seen.
I must say, ever since my elementary school chemistry class, or was in junior high? I’m not sure. However, whenever it was, I remember dreaming of a hydrogen engine in a car based on our studies of hydrogen being the most freely available elements in the universe and the fact that when it burns it produces only water as an “exhaust.” My young brain quickly seized on the idea that this could give us cars that were efficient, and clean, even way back then! What can I say? I was ahead of my time. Anyway, my dream could soon become a reality! At any rate, you have to give it to Toyota for coming out with this technology! They also announced at CES, that the same technology would be used soon in buses for mass transportation.
From Toyota’s web site:
“The fuel cell vehicle (FCV) is the nearest thing yet to an ‘ultimate eco-car’ that offers solutions to energy and emissions issues.
FCVs are powered by fuel cells, which generate electricity from hydrogen, which is not only environmentally friendly and highly energy-efficient, but can also be produced using a variety of readily available raw materials. Thanks to these characteristics, fuel cell vehicles are ideal for achieving sustainable mobility. Therefore, Toyota is striving to make this vehicle technology widely available as soon as possible.
The Toyota FCV Concept is a practical concept of the fuel cell vehicle Toyota plans to launch around 2015 as a pioneer in the development of hydrogen-powered vehicles. The vehicle has a driving range of at least 500 km and refueling times as low as three minutes, roughly the same time as for a gasoline vehicle.
The vehicle’s exterior design evokes two key characteristics of a fuel cell vehicle: the transformation of air into water as the system produces electricity, and the powerful acceleration enabled by the electric drive motor. The bold front view features pronounced air intakes, while the sleek side view conveys the air-to-water transformation with its flowing-liquid door profile and wave-motif fuel cap. The theme carries to the rear view, which conveys a catamaran’s stern and the flow of water behind.
With Toyota’s proprietary small, light-weight FC Stack and two 70 MPa high-pressure hydrogen tanks placed beneath the specially designed body, the Toyota FCV Concept can accommodate up to four occupants.
The Toyota FC Stack has a power output density of 3 kW/L, more than twice that of the current “Toyota FCHV-adv” FC Stack, and an output of at least 100 kW. In addition, the FC system is equipped with Toyota’s high-efficiency boost converter. Increasing the voltage has made it possible to reduce the size of the motor and the number of fuel cells, leading to a smaller system offering enhanced performance at reduced cost.
Fully fueled, the vehicle can provide enough electricity to meet the daily needs of an average Japanese home (10 kWh) for more than one week.”