[RahulNagaraj]

Toyota has developed a portable hydrogen cartridge concept, which aims to offer swappable power for the brand's next-generation hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (PHEVs).

The idea of a portable hydrogen cartridge was originally a project of Toyota's mobility technology subsidiary, 'Woven'. The team even produced a working prototype of the cartridge back in 2022. However, the automaker is said to have developed the idea further in the past couple of years. The latest iteration of the cartridges is said to be lighter and easier to transport.



The hydrogen cartridge is said to be light and compact enough to be carried by hand and looks like an oversized AA battery. The cartridges, once implemented, would allow owners of fuel cell electric vehicles to simply swap out the cartridges when hydrogen levels run low, eliminating the need to stop and refuel at a station.

Being so compact and lightweight, Toyota feels the cartridges can also be used as an electricity source to power a home or for cooking. Toyota & Rinnai Corporation is exhibiting a stove at the Japan Mobility Bizweek later this month, which shows how, in emergency situations, the cartridge can be removed from the car and used to power household appliances.

The cartridges, although a concept at the moment, offer an alternative, affordable, and more convenient way to deliver hydrogen to users.

Source: TechRadar

Link to Team-BHP news

[srini1785]

Every major automaker wants their concept of "next gen fuel" to be the global standard. Tesla is pushing EV, Toyota is pushing Hydrogen. Maybe the next Gen auto industry will have multiple power sources and a never before seen fragmented auto market.

[Viju]

Living in Japan, I do see the occasional Honda Clarity or Toyota Mirai passing me by on the highway. I always wonder how long they could go without worrying about a refill.

There are some hydrogen filling stations in the highway parking areas. But I rarely see them functioning.

I have a feeling this could be a breakthrough moment for Toyota and for Hydrogen FCVs. If this concept takes off in Japan, I will definitely consider a Toyota / Lexus hydrogen-powered car as my next ride.

[Elevate2024]

Very Interesting, if Toyota can move quickly with this technology and introduce some vehicles along with the functioning cartridges ecosystem at a competitive price, the much talked about battle of Hydrogen vs EV can become mainstream for alternate options on oil. They have a window of next 2-3 years before EV industry stabilizes and gain the critical mass.

Toyota and the worldwide auto industry would benefit greatly if they can include other Japanese OEMs (not just Suzuki) to accelerate this tech and bring the transition from crude oil faster

[deep_bang]

Toyota has the prius 2 decades back in the US. It was state of the art back then. But the hybrid technology came to India (in an affordable sense) so much later. My only concern with Toyota is that they tend to recover most of their investment from the developed markets and only then release such technologies in India.

If that's true for the hydrogen cars, then don't even dream about this in India for the next 10 to 15 years. Pessimistic post but I have my reasons.

[arundeepbv]

I could imagine these being useful beyond vehicles too. Just like how we use LPG to power stoves in many households, these hydrogen cartridges could be a versatile power source for cooking or backup electricity in rural areas. It would be great to see something like this catch on in India, especially with our focus on renewable energy and practical solutions. Kudos to Toyota for thinking outside the box!

[sandeepmohan]

I must admit, I had to take a quick look at todays date, to remind myself this was not some April fool joke.

I am sorry. It is high time Toyota moved on from this trash idea of Hydrogen powered passengers cars. It is impractical and stupid. Different story if you're plying a Hydrogen based truck, or trying to power a house with these cartridge looking things.

The future of mobility is going to be Electric. Toyota need to pull up their socks really fast and get onboard with it. They need to iterate better on the current Bz3, bz4x and Lexus RZ models.

[argho]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

I must admit, I had to take a quick look at todays date, to remind myself this was not some April fool joke.

I am sorry. It is high time Toyota moved on from this trash idea of Hydrogen powered passengers cars. It is impractical and stupid.

The future is electric - as in EVs with electric motors.

The question is how do you store the electricity.
- Pure EVs : Battery
- Hybrids : Petrol / diesel which drives a IC engine to generate electric power
- Hydrogen : which uses a fuel cell to convert it to electricity

I personally think its an interesting period, where car makers are experimenting.

If battery tech evolves, the other options will die.