Summary

• Toyota is decided to promote 200,000 hydrogen-powered automobiles yearly by 2030, regardless of low gross sales and restricted infrastructure.
• Toyota is increasing its hydrogen portfolio with partnerships and plans to ascertain a Hydrogen Factory in Europe.
• Hydrogen-powered automobiles supply benefits akin to lowered weight, sooner refueling instances, greater payload capability, and adaptableness in numerous environments in comparison with electrical automobiles.

On paper, an FCEV (fuel-cell electrical car) makes use of an electrical motor similar to an everyday EV, however sources energy from a gas stack the place hydrogen is separated by a catalyst to generate electrical energy. This seemingly minor element marks an enormous hole between the 2 classes and is on the core of Toyota’s unorthodox method to decarbonization.

While EVs have grown at a speedy tempo over the past couple of years, the variety of hydrogen automobiles out there for buy may be counted on one hand. At the forefront of those FCEVs, we discover the Toyota Mirai, a mid-size sedan boasting a variety of 402 miles. Ever since its introduction in 2015, Toyota has sold only 14,105 copies of the Mirai within the United States, together with 2,737 examples in 2023, in keeping with CarFigures.

All in all, the Mirai isn’t a nasty automobile, and its lack of ability to draw prospects has extra to do with the present market circumstances than any dearth of options or attractiveness. As of 2023, there have been only 59 open retail hydrogen stations within the United States, most of them based mostly in California. On a worldwide scale, the shortage isn’t any much less daunting. There had been only 1,089 combined hydrogen stations across the globe by Q2 of 2023. Furthermore, hydrogen know-how is reasonably expensive too, which is why the Mirai comes at a not-so-cheap $49,500 MSRP.

Nonetheless, the Toyota stays undeterred by such components, and plans on forging forward with a wider array of hydrogen automobiles, with plans to attain 200,000 annual FCEV gross sales in the long term. This technique just isn’t restricted to the FCEV sedan, nevertheless, and expands to numerous different realms, as proven under.

In order to provide the newest and correct data attainable, the info used to compile this text was sourced from Toyota and different authoritative sources, together with Reuters and the European Commission.

Toyota Is Looking To Increase Its Hydrogen Sales Exponentially

In 2023, the Toyota Mirai achieved a 31-percent year-over-year enhance in gross sales. Sounds good, proper? Well, that’s till you notice solely 2,737 copies had been purchased. These underwhelming outcomes haven’t deterred Toyota from pursuing its hydrogen ambitions, nevertheless. While Toyota has solely managed to promote 14,105 fashions of its solely hydrogen car within the final eight years, it stays nonetheless decided to promote 200,000 examples yearly by 2030.

“This may be a strange way of putting it, but 200,000 is not a big number,” explains Toyota’s Chief Technology Officer, Hiroki Nakajima. “We believe this number and more can be achieved.”

Since Toyota hasn’t given up on FCEV know-how, it solely is smart for the corporate to maintain its old-trusted sedan round. The longer the Mirai stays in the marketplace, the extra it could possibly pave the best way for future hydrogen automobiles to come back. This permits Toyota to evaluate suggestions from house owners, take a look at out the Mirai in actual life, and study from it. And, whereas the dearth of charging infrastructure may need hindered the Mirai’s business progress to date, current patent filings present that Toyota is planning on establishing a “Hydrogen Charging Network”, which might permit for at-home hydrogen fueling.

Although the FCEV enterprise is reasonably restricted now, Toyota said it expects the global market for fuel cells to grow to around $35 billion by 2030. More reasonable forecasts predict it to develop at round CAGR 25-percent from 2023 to 2032, which might quantity to $30 billion. These optimistic estimates are additional mirrored by the formidable tasks which are at present being laid out by the Japanese producer.

Hydrogen Trucks: Toyota’s Attempt At Reshaping The Industry

While electrical vehicles have already began changing their typical counterparts in nations akin to Sweden, heavy-duty EVs (particularly semi-trucks) are nonetheless far behind their gas-powered equivalents by way of each market and effectiveness. For that purpose, some events have began trying into hydrogen vans, and vans in its place. Naturally, Toyota can also be on the forefront of this motion.

FCEV Tanks Boast A Superior Range

In 2023, the corporate’s North American department introduced the enlargement of its partnership with PACCAR to develop hydrogen-powered Kenworth and Peterbilt vans. The two fashions in query are the Kenworth T680 and the Peterbilt 579. Both of those vans have already got all-electric variations in the marketplace, although with a limited range of 150 miles.

The FCEV variants however, will function Toyota’s newest hydrogen know-how, which reportedly translated into 300 miles of vary on the Kenworth T680 again in 2023. The upcoming variations are expected to get closer to 400 miles, and presumably even exceed it with larger gas tanks. In any case, we will quickly discover out, since buyer deliveries are deliberate for 2024. Last 12 months, Toyota also partnered up with VDL Groep to launch their first FCEV demonstration vans, as a part of the corporate’s ambition ambition to decarbonize its European logistics operations.

Toyota Might Be On To Something

While you may be tempted to criticize Toyota’s technique (or lack thereof) with regards to EVs, it is received many good causes to proceed investing in hydrogen-powered automobiles:

• Reduced weight: Although hydrogen-powered automobiles are heavier than diesel-powered ones, they’re significantly lighter than battery-powered automobiles.
• Faster refueling instances: According to Toyota, its hydrogen gas tank may be refueled in 15 to twenty minutes. In distinction, the Tesla SEMI, which is the fastest-charging big-rig within the e-segment, wants 90 minutes to go from 10 to one hundred pc.
• Faster deliveries: Since hydrogen vans want much less time to refuel, and might spend extra time on the street on a single tank, they’re extra more likely to respect and keep a packed schedule.
• Higher payload and towing capability: Electric powertrains are inclined to lose a substantial quantity of vary beneath duress, which is one thing Toyota intends to repair by implementing hydrogen into the combination.
• Higher adaptability: Electric automobiles can lose a substantial quantity of vary beneath wintry circumstances, making them much less appropriate with completely different environments.

Hydrogen Isn’t A Lost Cause Just Yet

You’ve guessed it now, Toyota is not putting all of its eggs in the same basket, and the Mirai is way from being its final attempt. On high of diversifying its portfolio, the legacy automaker has additionally been securing partnerships with different automakers, and increasing its geographical horizons.

Europe: The Next Meccah Of H2

Toyota is notably planning to ascertain the Hydrogen Factory in Europe, to provide “an increasing number of fuel cell systems and support a widening group of commercial partnerships.”

The resolution to open an H2 facility within the previous continent is a strategic one. Toyota expects Europe to grow to be a number one drive within the world FCEV market by the start of the subsequent decade, as rising investments and political incentives pile up. The EU’s transport infrastructure fund has notably awarded €284 million (round one-third of its price range) for the set up of hydrogen stations, which ought to assist clear up the present infrastructure challenge to some extent. To up the ante a bit, the European Commission’s Green Deal is also set to invest €45 billion by 2027.

Toyota’s Other Hydrogen Projects

While the Mirai is the one manufacturing FCEV launched by Toyota to date, the Japanese carmaker has fairly a number of H2 tasks on its resumé. Engineers have not been sitting idle precisely, and to date, Toyota’s fuel-cell panoply notably consists of:

• A Corolla Cross H2 Concept, powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder, transformed to utilizing hydrogen as gas.
• An FCEV Toyota Crown constructed on a newly developed 2.5-liter multi-stage hybrid system, providing 509 miles of vary per three-minute hydrogen refill.
• A hydrogen-fueled V-8 engine, co-developed with Yamaha, concentrating on 455 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 398 pound-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm.
• A hydrogen-fueled Hilux prototype, with 372 miles of vary, which targets a better towing and payload capability than EV vans.
• A hydrogen-powered GR Yaris, which was pushed by famend actor Rowan Atkinson on the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed.