Toyota sets date for FCV launch in Japan

Toyota’s fuel cell vehicle (FCV) sedan will be launched in March 2015 in Japan, before being made available in the US and Europe in the summer of 2015. This is the first specific timeframe for its FCV, which it had previously said would launch “in 2015”. The OEM announced the Japanese price tag would be around ¥7m (US$68,684). Toyota also revealed the exterior design of its FCV during a briefing on fuel cell vehicle development. The price of Toyota’s FCV may come as a pleasant surprise for potential buyers, as it was initially rumoured to be around the US$100,000 figure. Prices have not, however, been confirmed for elsewhere. The ¥7m figure will put the FCV into competition with the Tesla Model S. Mitsuhisa Kato, Executive Vice President and Member of the Board, stated that Toyota has three basic principles when it comes to developing environmentally-friendly vehicles: developing efficient, low-emission vehicles, embracing diverse energy sources, and driving positive environmental change by popularising the vehicles. Toyota’s FCV only takes three minutes to refuel, has a range of around 700 kilometres (435 miles), has cold-start capabilities of as low as -30 degrees Celsius, and with a full tank could supply emergency power to an average house for a week. Initially, the FCV will only go on sale in regions of Japan where refuelling infrastructure is in place or is being developed. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a hydrogen road map on 24 June that includes a call for subsidies and tax breaks for FCV buyers, relaxed curbs on hydrogen fuel stations, an increase in the number of refuelling stations to 100 by 2015, and working to make hydrogen available at a price similar to gasoline. Abe also said that the market related to hydrogen, FCVs and infrastructure is expected to grow from around ¥1tr in 2020 to ¥8tr by 2034. Toyota said in a statement, “Hydrogen is a particularly promising alternative fuel since it can be produced using a wide variety of sources, including solar and wind power.” Jared Farnsworth, Senior Engineer, Powertrain System Control, Toyota Technical Center, California, previously told Automotive World, “We believe this [fuel cells] is the technology for the next 100 years.” The OEM said that hydrogen is a particularly promising alternative fuel as when it is compressed it has a higher energy density than batteries, and is easier to transport and store. Toyota also cited the variety of applications for which it could be used, including automotive, home, and large-scale power generation. Kato says the future vision is a society which uses diverse energy sources, and no longer solely relies on fossil fuels. This will include hydrogen and CO2-free electricity, both produced from considerable amounts of renewable energy. The OEM has been working on cutting the cost of its fuel cell model to a realistic figure, and has said it is prepared to sell at a loss, initially, in order to gain customer acceptance of the technology, like it did with its Prius model. Since the Prius’ launch in the late 90s, Toyota has sold around 3.7 million units. Kato remarked, “We really feel that the hybrid car is in the phase of true popularisation.” Rachael Hogg

Toyota sets date for FCV launch in Japan

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