New Toyota fuel cell hybrid has over 500 mile range
Toyota was so proud of their earlier fuel cell hybrid vehicle's (FCHV) 347 mile range that they took it on several adventurous treks. Now, the company's new 500+ mile range achievement must have them poring over the maps again, seeking the next great challenge for the vehicle, now monikered "FCHV adv" (advanced). We think the drive from Patagonia to Ecuador would be an exceptional tour de hydrogen fuel cell force. Not only would it give the folks at Toyota lots of quality time with this new iteration but it would challenge all the various components that were improved to reach their new range milestone.
The cold of the far South would sorely test the improvements made to the building block of the fuel cell, the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), that keeps water from interfering with electricity production when the mercury shrinks to -30C. The mountains of Peru would give the improved regenerative braking system a thorough working over while the humidity of Ecuador would demand the most of the upgraded degradation control for the electrode catalyst and the improved fuel cell durability. In short, the trip would be an excellent trial by tire. The journey would also be longer than what one filling of the new 10,000 psi hydrogen storage tanks would allow for so hopefully they would be able to bring along the mobile fuel unit to top them off once in a while.
Of course, they could just forgo all that hassle and use it as a test-ride vehicle at the Environmental Showcase for the International Media Center during the July 7-9 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, since it was granted certification by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) on June 3. Press release after the jump.
Press Release:
Toyota Develops Advanced Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle
TOYOTA FCHV-adv, with New Toyota FC Stack, Earns Vehicle-type CertificationTokyo
TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that it has developed a fuel cell hybrid vehicle equipped with the newly designed high-performance Toyota FC Stack. The "TOYOTA FCHV-adv"*1 acquired vehicle-type certification from Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) on June 3.
During development, TMC analyzed results and data from various utilization studies by the Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration Project organized by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, tests conducted by the California Fuel Cell Partnership in the United States and cold-weather tests in Timmins, Canada. TMC also repeatedly carried out basic research to get to the core of technical problems as they arose. Based on the results gained from these studies, the TOYOTA FCHV-adv's fuel cell system was enhanced to further improve cruising distance and low-temperature starts, which had presented obstacles to widespread fuel cell vehicle use.
The building block of the Toyota FC Stack is the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), where engineers focused on the basic problem of internally produced water interfering with electrical generation within the MEA at low temperatures. Fundamental research, such as internal visualization tests, was carried out to understand the behavior and amount of water generated in the fuel cell, allowing engineers to optimize the MEA design to improve low-temperature startup. As a result, the TOYOTA FCHV-adv can start and operate in cold regions at temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius, meaning the vehicle can be used in a wider variety of conditions and climates.
In addition, fuel efficiency was improved by 25% through improving fuel cell unit performance, enhancing the regenerative brake system and reducing energy consumed by the auxiliary system. Further changes include incorporating degradation control for the electrode catalyst and improving fuel cell durability. Furthermore, equipping the vehicle with TMC-developed 70Mpa high-pressure hydrogen tanks makes it possible to travel approximately 830km*2 on a single fueling-performance that more than doubles that of the TOYOTA FCHV-adv's predecessor, the TOYOTA FCHV.
While steadily conducting research and development to resolve issues such as how to improve the durability and reduce costs of the Toyota FC Stack, TMC is working with government, energy companies and other concerned parties to actively bring about widespread fuel cell vehicle use.
A Toyota FCHV-adv is to be provided as a test-ride vehicle at the Environmental Showcase within the International Media Center during the July 7-9 Hokkaido Toyako Summit.
[Source: Toyota]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Smith 7:57PM (6/06/2008)
Does the fuel cell have platinum in it?
What is the price of the vehicle or the fuel cell?
Anyone here live in California? What is the current pump price for a gallon or pound of hydrogen?
CNG is like .97 cents a gallon last I checked in OKC.
Home refueling hydrogen station? Water, electricity, 10,000 psi bulk storage tank plus 10,000 psi pump.
Would the same pump that is used to take the ho2 from the source and pump it to pressure in the storage tank also be the same pump used to pump up the tank in the vehicle?
How hydrogen compares to gasoline: Could be subject to high fuel prices just like we have now.
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Kevin Nugent 1:54AM (6/07/2008)
isn't 10,000 psi alot of pressure ?? Im just thinking to myself in a crash a big steel container like that in the center body of the car does not look like it will to good in a crash test . But then again they are making hydrogen storage tanks out of flexible carbon fiber these days.
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evster 2:20AM (6/07/2008)
Smith,
I don't know about the answers to those questions I just know they are astronomically high.
One, hydrogen cars cost one million dollars. In southern california there is but ONE hydrogen station.
Two, EVs are far more advanced and convenient and need no dramatic shift in infrastructure.
Three, the hydrogen fuel will cost you 3-4 times of current gas prices, oh wait, they're still made from fossil fuels. And if you use water, that's dumb, you're using a limited and essential resource for life to fuel your one mil car.
Four, electricity can be made in multiple ways, solar, wind, ocean and it takes one electron to move a car forward as opposed to hydrogen taking four electrons to do the same job.
Five, this so called 500 mile range car is absolutely hilarious. NO one that I know of needs 500 miles in one tank. You're fuel efficiency can't be great when you lug that much fuel around for no reason.
And this is a concept, it isn't even a viable production plan.
Just like no one would buy a cell phone when there is only one antenna, no one will buy a hydro car when there is only one fuel station. By the time this concept car ... makes it to production for some miraculous reason, EVs will be far superior.
Waste of money Toyota.
Technology has come to shut you gas automakers and big oil. Face it, you have to adapt to the new era. Just like cinemas were run out of business by the invention of the television, they have to up their cars.
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Der Alte 3:38AM (6/07/2008)
It is possible to make safe, high pressure hydrogen canisters.....they just cost a hell of a lot and likely always will due to their complexity.
Extending the range of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle through a hybrid drive is certainly one way of doing it. You will a very complex vehicle mind you....and unfortunately this only increases the costs, not decrease it.
Then you still have the whole problem of a non existent and difficult to build hydrogen infrastructure.
The physics of hydrogen dictate that it is not a suitable solution for our global transportation energy needs. Its time to move on and devote the resources going to hydrogen to something a lot more realistic.
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jake 1:44PM (6/07/2008)
There's a reason why this is important that you guys failed to mention: There are so little fueling stations around it's going to need that 500 mile range :P
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Paolo 5:48PM (6/07/2008)
lol... excellent comments,,,
It's simply astounding that anything as dumb as a Hydrogen Car could even get beyond the drawing board when electric / hybrid drivetrains are ready to go,
http://www.pmlflightlink.com/archive/news_mini.html
and don't need a liberal sprinkle of magic fairy dust and many trillions of dollars to make it to market.
The last desperate attempts of a dying beast to keep selling us fuel,,, ANY fuel.
Screw you, Big Oil, and screw your Hydrogen too.
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Chris M 2:16AM (6/08/2008)
I wonder, how big of a tank did they stuff into the back of that SUV? Any trunk space left? Is there a spare tire?
To answer Smith's questions: Yes, the H2 PEM fuel cell requires platinum as a catalyst.
The cost is not mentioned, but prototypes like these exceed a million dollars each. PEM fuel cells cost about $5 per watt, which means an automotive sized fuel cell start at a quarter million and goes up. Some claim that mass production can reduce costs, but due to the high price of platinum and other components, mass production can't reduce cost enough to be affordable enough for mass sales needed for mass production!
1 Kilogram of hydrogen is about equal in energy to 1 gallon of gas, and current retail price of H2 is $8 to $10 per Kg. Whether that costs more or less than driving on gasoline depends on the fuel efficiency being compared. The Honda FCX Clarity gets about 65 miles per H2 Kg, which makes per mile fuel costs more than a Prius, but less than a Hummer. The BMW "Hydrogen 7" only gets about 15 miles per Kg, with a per mile fuel cost higher than almost anything.
Honda has developed a "home energy station" that uses natural gas to produce H2, electricity and hot water, cost is estimated to be $50,000 if it ever goes for sale. I have no idea how the pumping is arranged.
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John 9:05AM (6/08/2008)
Keep in mind that hydrogen powered vehicles are still 10+ years out. Hybrids using fossil fuels are just band-aid to get us to the next efficient and sustainable energy source. Is it electricity? Hydrogen? We don't know yet.
Hydrogen seems more logical than electricity now as the next viable fuel. EVs are great for up to 100 mile distances but what are you going to do when you need to go further? Batteries are heavy and inefficient which consumes more energy. Will the super cap be a viable replacement the battery?
Fact is we need to completely ween ourselves off fossil fuels (and ethanol) as a transportation fuel. I do see the death of the gas/diesel/ethanol-electric hybrid in the near future (10-15 years). Fully electric vehicles with 150+ mile range and fuel cell powered vehicles will be where we end up in 15 years.
To the people worried about the safety of hydrogen: What if the tables were turned? What if we had been fueling our vehicles with hydrogen and someone proposed going to gasoline? The hydrogen system is clean and secure compared to sloshing a highly flammable liquid around in the open spilling a little here and there. What happens when there is an accident with the flimsy plastic gas tank hanging out back under the car?
Also, of course the hydrogen tank takes up interior space. The current vehicles are not designed for hydrogen use, they are just test mules. Expect better packaging when the technology is better understood and closer to actual production.
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POP 10:30AM (6/08/2008)
Hydrogen vehicle are not ten years out. There are those that say that converting water, on site, is a technical impossibility. Those are people that, I would say, have never heard of NANOTECHNOLOGY. Currently, the world of nanotech is working on making solar panels dirt cheap and up to 50% more efficient in capturing the power of the sun. Nanotech is also making under the radar breakthroughs in the most important part of a hydrocar...it's fuel cell. Beyond that, nanotech is an engineering technology that will make the impossible, possible. Here are some links for you to look over:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/emergingtech/?p=847
http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=4608&ntid=120&pg=2
http://nanotechwire.com/news.asp?nid=5791&ntid=120&pg=1
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Bill 11:07AM (6/08/2008)
Room-temperature electrolysis is about 50% efficient, IIRC.
Then there are the energy losses associated with compressing to 10,000 psi (the only way a hydrogen vehicle gets any decent range)
EVs can have a small (1L), efficient (50 mpg) gasoline-fueled motor onboard to recharge the batteries thereby extending the range.
Extended-range EVs like the Volt would eliminate at least 80% of gasoline usage for the typical commuter, so there's no need to completely eliminate the use of fossil fuels.
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