TORRANCE, Calif. — As the latest example of its ongoing commitment to expand technology for environmentally friendly cars and trucks, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) demonstrated a space-age fuel cell vehicle today that generates its own on-board electricity with compressed hydrogen.
The company's new zero-emissions FCHV-4 was put through its paces at the Toyota Technical Center here for the news media, environmental leaders and government officials. FCHV is short for "fuel cell hybrid vehicle," and represents the automaker's next step in hybrid technology, which is available today in the Toyota Prius sedan.
Based on the new Highlander SUV, the FCHV-4 is the first Toyota fuel cell on U.S. roads. The company began real-world testing with the vehicle at the end of July, in cooperation with the California Fuel Cell Partnership. Organized in 1999, the partnership is a public-private venture dedicated to demonstrating fuel cell technology in California.
Norihiko Nakamura, an executive advisory engineer responsible for Toyota's fuel cell development, said the FCHV-4 was completed entirely in house. As a result, he said, "We were able to give every portion of the system the kind of performance necessary for a viable automobile."
Nakamura cautioned that it will be at least 10 years before any manufacturer has a fuel cell ready for mass marketing to consumers. He based his forecast on a number of problems that have not yet been solved, such as improving energy efficiency levels, perfecting on-board hydrogen storage, developing systems that use a variety of fuels and establishing an infrastructure for distribution of the fuels.