Toyota: Hydrogen Fuel Will Be Costly

Toyota is one of the most outspoken proponents of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, even ditching its partnership with Tesla Motors to focus on the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. But even with generous incentives, fueling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles won’t be cheap, with a full tank of the clean-burning fuel costing around $50, reports Ecomento.

That’s what Toyota’s Senior VP of North America Bob Carter said at the recent JP Morgan Auto Conference, claiming that cost estimate comes directly from the Department of Energy. He says the cost will eventually fall to about $30, which is about on par with the cost to fuel many high-mileage compact cars. For example, my 2012 Chevy Sonic 1.4T costs on average about $35 to fill, and gives me 300 miles of driving range, which is what the Toyota Mirai is claiming.

From the onset though, hydrogen fuel will remain nearly twice as expensive as gasoline it seems, though the Department of Energy is funding research to accelerate price parity with gasoline. But from the onset, filling up a hydrogen fuel cell car is going to be costly, moreso than even gasoline.

Then again, you could just buy a car like the Tesla Model S, which can go 265 miles on a full charge which will cost you (depending on where you live) less than $10 to fully charge. If you hook up to a Tesla Supercharger though, that fuel is free. The initial batch of Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell buyers will also get free fuel, though from a limited (though growing) number of hydrogen fueling stations across SoCal.

Toyota’s admission though makes it clear that even if you do buy a hydrogen car, it won’t save you a dime on fuel costs. Meanwhile, electric vehicles continue to increase in range and decrease in cost, and by 2017 the Tesla Model III aims to offer a 200-mile driving range per charge in a $35,000 sedan, half the price of the $70,000 Toyota Mirai, which begins production at the end of this year.

Sounds like yet another advantage goes to EVs, but Toyota doesn’t want to hear it.

Source: Toyota

Japan Offers $20,000 For Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

Honda and Toyota, two of Japan’s largest automakers, have wholly embraced hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as the alternative fuel of the future. They aren’t alone either, with the Japanese government doling out a huge $20,000 incentive towards the purchase of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, reports Reuters.

That’s more than double the maximum of $8,500 buyers can get back from the purchase of an all-electric vehicle. However, all of the electric vehicles sold by Japanese automakers are much, much cheaper than the $70,000 Toyota FCV, for example. Even so, this generous incentive brings the cost down to a more palatable $50,000 (ish), though that’s no guarantee that buyers are ready to sign on.

As it stands there are just 12 stations online along Japan’s “hydrogen highway”, though by the end of 2015 the number should be closer to 100. Compare that to an estimated 12,000 EV chargers that Japanese automakers are teaming up to install, and even with this huge incentive, electric vehicles seem to have a huge advantage.

Don’t tell that to Toyota or Hyundai though; both automakers are committing tremendous resources to advance hydrogen, cutting off their EV programs at the knees in a bid to make hydrogen viable. In Japan, heavy incentives will certainly help, but can the same generosity be counted on in the U.S. or Europe?

Source:  Gas 2.

Safety Exemption Sought For U.S. Sales Of The Toyota FCV

There is little doubt that the United States has some of the most onerous automotive safety regulations in the world, and sometimes that makes selling a new kind of car technology difficult. Toyota is asking for a special exemption for its FCV hydrogen fuel cell car that has to do with the separation of high-voltage components and the safety of first responders.

Bloomberg reports that the rule, FMVSS No. 305, requires automakers to isolate high-voltage components in the event of an accident in order to prevent first responders from being electrocuted. Unfortunately for Toyota, such a mechanism would render the FCV inoperable, even after a minor fender bender.

The Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, and other electric vehicles all integrate such a system, but Toyota is petitioning the NHTSA for a special exemption from this rule. Instead, Toyota says it will wrap high-voltage wires in extra insulation and protect the hydrogen fuel stack, electric motor, and battery with metal barriers.

With Toyota limiting sales to just 2,500 units a year at first, it’s likely the NHTSA will grant Toyota its exemption for the first couple of years while engineers figure out a better solution for the $69,000 FCV. I have to say though, for all of Toyota’s bluster on the greatness of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the fact that they’re seeking safety exemptions isn’t exactly encouraging. The hydrogen fuel tanks may be bulletproof, but is extra insulation and metal barriers going to prevent an inexperienced first responder from getting shocked or even killed?

Toyota seems to think so, though ultimately the answer lies with the NHTSA, and while it seems unlikely, what will Toyota do if its exemption is denied? Without the RAV4 EV and Tesla to fall back on, Toyota has put all its eggs in a basket called the FCV..

Source: Toyota