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Looking forward to the fuel cell vehicle from Toyota

Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle

Revealed as a possible production model, but with none of the production components in place except the engine and inner workings, Toyota who has become the world leader in hybrid vehicles is now looking for a new arena of fuel saving and low-emission vehicles with one powered by a fuel cell. Their goal is to bring a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) to production for the 2015 model year and with the testing of a prototype as early as the spring of 2013 this seems like a very big possibility.

Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle

Even though the next generation of Prius Hybrid models is due to launch in this same time period the fuel cell vehicle will certainly stir a marketable interest from those who are searching for the next great fuel saving or electric vehicle. The car is expected to enter the market as a four-door sedan that does offer a good amount of sportiness to keep with Toyota’s style of making cars that are very sharp in appearance and performance.

The fuel cell vehicle that was tested last spring came with a brisk move off the line to get out ahead of the crowd. The expected horsepower of this car is between 135 and 150 and will offer enough torque to keep it moving right along with traffic whether on the highway or the city streets. The test car was fitted with a 3kW per liter fuel cell that is one-quarter the size of the Highlander FCHV-adv had in it on the research vehicle and offers twice the power density. The cost to build this fuel cell is thankfully only ten percent as much as the one on the Highlander but it still comes in at around $100,000 at the time of testing. Toyota has stated they expect to make enough advances in this technology by the time of production to cut the cost of the fuel cell down to $25,000 alone and offer the entire car at a $50,000 price for those who want to enjoy the power and fuel efficiency of a fuel cell vehicle.

The fuel cell vehicles require hydrogen tanks to operate and the previous Highlander required four. Toyota has made great strides in this category as well to cut the number in half and create a fuel cell vehicle that only needs two hydrogen tanks to operate. These tanks tend to need quite a bit of space, but in the test car the tanks were positioned behind and under the rear seat and still offered a very usable back seat for passengers to enjoy. The test car was capable of travelling at least 350 miles before needing to be refilled an the refilling process is meant to take no more than three minutes to complete, making this a very fuel efficient and time saving process.

At the time of testing Toyota still had a long way to go to bring the fuel cell vehicle to production and introduce it fully into the market but should they be successful in obtaining all the necessary approvals required this will prove to be a car that truly revolutionizes the automotive industry. All the public can do is sit back and see what comes of this technology, but if any company can perfect it expect Toyota to get it done.

What do you think?

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Written by Carl Durrek

Carl is a gaming fanatic, forever stuck on Reddit and all-around lover of food.

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