[RahulNagaraj]

During the Tokyo Motor Show, Hiroki Nakajima, Technical Chief, Toyota Motors, confirmed that the automaker will change its approach with its FCEV tech now concentrated towards commercial vehicles.

Toyota was a pioneer of the FCEV technology which it offered on its Mirai. However, due to the complexity of setting up a hydrogen fuelling station network, the car didn't get a lot of takers. Nakajima also stated, "We have tried Mirai but not been successful." He added, "Hydrogen stations are very few and difficult to realise, so Mirai is smaller [in volume]."



Having said that, Toyota feels the technology is far more suitable for commercial vehicles. Also, for CVs setting up a controlled fuelling network is easier as it's only A-to-B journeys. Nakajima stated, "Huge numbers of trucks go from A to B so you can operate stations with more stability. Commercial vehicles are the most important area to try and proceed on with hydrogen."

Toyota is currently developing a new-generation fuel cell. The latest-gen fuel cell tech is expected to cost half of the current generation cells, while also being two and half times more durable than diesel engines. While Toyota is developing the new-gen fuel cells with commercial vehicles in mind, they want to keep the tech open to cars as well. The auto giant is also looking at non-automotive applications for the new-gen cells like the construction and medical industries.

Toyota is also developing solid-state battery tech for its future passenger vehicles. The new tech is scheduled to launch sometime in 2027 or 2028.

Source: Autocar UK

Link to Team-BHP news

[ferrarirules]

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

During the Tokyo Motor Show, Hiroki Nakajima, Technical Chief, Toyota Motors, confirmed that the automaker will change its approach with its FCEV tech now concentrated towards commercial vehicles.

...
Toyota is also developing solid-state battery tech for its future passenger vehicles. The new tech is scheduled to launch sometime in 2027 or 2028.

Source: Autocar UK

Link to Team-BHP news

Oh My God! Can they please stop it? I haven't seen much more confused top management of an organization than this.

One time they say Hybrid is the future
Then they say hybrids are a transition to BEV
Then they say FCEV is the future forget about BEV
Now they say forget about FCEV, solid state battery vehicle is the future.

In reality, all they want to do is sell hybrid vehicles for a considerable future as they already have done enough research in last 25 years and now all their sales are profits. The only problem they are facing is Tesla came along and said forget hybrid vehicles drive electric vehicles. Their 25 years of effort went down the drain.

[The Rationalist]

Toyota is the laughing stock now! It won't be long before they will accept that EV's are the future. I think it's just ego that's preventing from swallowing their words about hybrids. Hope Gadkari soon gives the 'futuristic' Mirai back to Toyota!

[electric_eel]

Originally Posted by ferrarirules

Oh My God! Can they please stop it? I haven't seen much more confused top management of an organization than this.

One cannot defy laws of physics unless you are Rajnikanth of course. Just to poke a hole in their 10 min chargeable 1500 Km range (solid state or whatever BEV). Even at an overly optimistic 100 Wh/km that will entail having a 150 kWh battery which if it is to be charged in 10 min would requires charging speed of about 150 * 6 KW charger which is about a MW of power. I have lot of questions about the electrical systems.

- What is the operational voltage of (charging) this car ?

- If it is say 1000 V (for a perspective EV6/Ioniq is 800 V if I recall correctly) then this will entail about 1000 Amps if it has to supply 1 MW (let us ignore AC/DC differences). Forget about the alien battery tech, I am willing to pay to have a darshan of the wiring harness of this car.

- Lastly I would like to see how many 1 MW chargers we will have in this country. For comparison Tesla supercharges claim to be about 250 KW so we are talking about 4 times that speed. Okey may be not as idotic as the hydrogen fueling stations but whatever.

Meanwhile to get your car full charged at home 16 A socket will take what 50 hrs ?

[sandeepmohan]

Toyota's attitude or ignorance towards EV boggles my mind. This is a company that dipped its finger into EV's (Not Hybrids) in the late 90's with a 100mile range which was commendable for its time. They know the technology yet they are not committing to the technology even after their cousins in Japan (Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi) all have BEV vehicles on their portfolio. Its so bad with Toyota that they need BYD to help them out with their first fully electric vehicle, today.

[PreludeSH]

EVs might not be that complicated to make (for Toyota!). The motors are flexible to be used across segments if really needed and battery packs are scalable.

Dont think Toyota is lagging in technology for BEVs. They are just trying to dabble in alternatives. i was looking at concentrated solar power generation where they could generate Hydrogen. For heavy vehicles/ships/machinery you dont need to use electricity as a direct source.

Just a question, can the CNG grid be used to transport Hydrogen with modifications ? Hydrogen is already being blended with natural gas to reduce carbon emissions.

[electric_eel]

Originally Posted by PreludeSH

Just a question, can the CNG grid be used to transport Hydrogen with modifications ? Hydrogen is already being blended with natural gas to reduce carbon emissions.

I dont think that is easy. The pressures required are very different plus hydrogen being a small molecule can easily escape through cracks. This and other problems of hydrogen as a fuel is well discussed in fully charged channel

https://youtu.be/JlOCS95Jvjc?si=ClZ-A7FP5bFiqlxa

[volkman10]

Toyota Hydrogen Factory scaling up its European activities.

Hydrogen Factory Europe to further grow Toyota hydrogen business and stimulate a wider roll-out of the hydrogen eco-systems and infrastructure across Europe.

Hydrogen as key contributor to achieving Toyota’s goal of becoming a carbon-neutral business in Europe by 2040

Toyota fuel cell systems being adopted in a wide variety of mobility applications, from passenger cars to light-duty vehicles, heavy duty trucks, coaches and ships.

Next-generation Toyota fuel cell technology to be commercialised in 2026, offering longer lifecycles, increased driving range for vehicles and significantly reduced costs.

Toyota Motor Europe (TME) will establish a local business operation, the Hydrogen Factory Europe. It will ensure a co-ordinated approach to the commercialisation of hydrogen technology and systems – spanning everything from development and production, through to sales and aftersales.

The Hydrogen Factory will be responsible for producing an increasing number of fuel cell systems and supporting a widening group of commercial partnerships, in line with the company’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040, ten years ahead of Toyota’s global target.

Toyota expects Europe to be one of the world’s largest hydrogen fuel cell markets by 2030, with steady acceleration of different mobility and power generation applications. Growing investment and regulatory measures are encouraging development and market growth. These include €45 billion investment from the European Commission’s Green Deal by 2027 and the EU’s transport infrastructure fund has awarded 284 million euros – or approximately one third of its budget - for the installation of hydrogen refuelling stations.

The recent confirmation of the Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII) requires 42% of hydrogen used by industry in Europe to derive from sustainable sources by 2030. Along with the plans to build hydrogen filling stations at a minimum 200 km intervals along the region’s TEN-T (trans-European Transport Network) corridors, Europe is positioning itself at the centre of hydrogen technology.

The next generation

Building on its extensive experience, Toyota is developing next-generation hydrogen fuel cell technology that is expected to deliver industry leading performance through longer lifecycles and reduced costs.
The new fuel cell technology, scheduled for sales in 2026, will deliver a higher power density. The new fuel cell system is expected to have a 20% increase in driving range, whereas technical advances and increased production volumes are expected to help reduce costs by more than a third. Further research is also looking at the potential of scalable fuel cell stacks with different power outputs and design of fuel tanks with complex shapes, compatible with different size vehicles.

Source: Toyota