Toyota hit the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with a splash, unveiling a fuel cell electric vehicle alongside its well-traveled production prototype and announcing that its FCV will be on sale next year.
Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations of Toyota Motor Sales, said, “We aren’t trying to re-invent the wheel; just everything necessary to make them turn. Fuel cell electric vehicles will be in our future sooner than many people believe, and in much greater numbers than anyone expected.”
The FCV Concept is a mid-sized sedan with short overhangs and a rather extreme interpretation of Toyota’s family style. The headlights and narrow grille create a single line that flows back into the greenhouse, while massive vertical turn signals flank large lower air intakes.
More impressive than the styling is the FCV’s performance. Toyota has been working on fuel cell vehicles since 2002, and it’s reduced the cost, size and weight of the hydrogen fuel cell stack to the point that production is feasible. Toyota says the zero-emissions vehicle has a range of about 300 miles and the hydrogen tanks can be refueled in three to five minutes. As with other hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the only tailpipe emission is water. Power output is over 100kW, and Toyota says that a fully-fueled FCV could theoretically power a house for a week.
The FCV will be sold in California at first, and will spread out from there. Toyota has also partnered with the University of California Irvine’s Advanced Power and Energy Program to help expand the state’s hydrogen fueling infrastructure. It’ll compete with hydrogen-powered cars from Honda and Hyundai, among others.
