The planned introduction of an affordable FCHV saloon model in Japan, the USA and Europe is expected by 2015. Development of the production model has seen a focus on significant cost reduction, durability, reliability and improvements in well-to-wheel CO2 emissions. Currently a vehicle price tag of less than £70,000 is thought attainable, but Toyota is working to reduce costs even further before bringing its first model to market.
The company expects FCHVs to reach full mass-market commercialization during the 2020s, by when it aims to be selling tens of thousands of vehicles each year. This market growth will be supported by the wider roll-out of fuel cell vehicle technology; the development of hydrogen refueling infrastructure that will bring filling stations within easy reach of greater numbers of people; and cost reductions that go hand-in-hand with a maturing technology.
It is worth mentioning that Hyundai recently announced that the world’s first full production of hydrogen powered vehicles will arrive in the United Kingdom, with its ix35 Fuel Cell models, as part of the London Hydrogen Network Expansion (LNHE) project.
Source: Toyota
