Yokohama, Japan - Toyota is responding to the main criticism of fuel cell cars, that making the hydrogen for the fuel is not clean, with plans to help make hydrogen using wind power.
Fuel cells are zero-emission, running on the power created when hydrogen combines with oxygen in the air to make water. But to have a totally clean supply chain, the hydrogen must also be cleanly made. Right now, most hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels.
Japanese spearhead fuel-cell comeback
In a project announced on Monday, hydrogen from a wind-power plant in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, will be compressed and transported by truck to power fuel-cell forklifts at four sites in the area - a factory, a vegetable-and-fruit market and two warehouses.
The newly-developed hydrogen trucks will serve not only as transport but also as mobile hydrogen fueling stations for the forklifts.
The project is a partnership between Toyota, electronics giant Toshiba, energy supplier Iwatani, the government of Kanagawa prefecture, and the cities of Yokohama and nearby Kawasaki.
CLEAN HYDROGEN
When asked why not just use electricity produced by wind power to charge battery vehicles, Toyota senior managing officer Shigeki Tomoyama explained that it was easier to store hydrogen than electricity - and besides, battery-powered vehicles were limited by their range.
Clean hydrogen, he said, was the fix for global warming and energy security - but a stable supply of CO2-free hydrogen was needed.
Wind-powered hydrogen is expected to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by at least 80 percent compared with using petrol or electricity from the national grid, according to the companies.
While cost and ensuring an adequate supply are obvious challenges, Japan hopes to become a leader in hydrogen power and plans to showcase its prowess during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Rival carmaker Honda rolled out the latest model of its Clarity fuel cell vehicle last week, although it and Toyota’s Mirai are still too expensive for regular buyers and are mostly leased to corporates and government departments.
AP