Toyota Hydrogen Car Could Be on Market by Next Year

Toyota appears to be so far ahead of its schedule for introducing a hydrogen fuel-cell car to the consumer market that the vehicle could be available to the public by next year.

While Toyota had created numerous prototypes in the past, the Japanese company may be ready to move ahead to mass produce the fuel-cell-run car that can meet zero-emission vehicle standards, according to the blog The Detroit Bureau.

"Toyota has indicated it will introduce a modified version of its Tokyo concept vehicle in the U.S. – with sales concentrated in Southern California, where there is a small but growing network of hydrogen fueling stations," The Detroit Bureau reported. "It is unclear whether it will reduce the price of the American fuel-cell vehicle in order to build demand – much as automakers have done to spur sales of battery-electric vehicles."

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The price for the hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles continues to be one of its major hurdles. The Detroit Bureau reported that the first of these cars would run $78,000, but Toyota is trying to trim to cost to $30,000 to $50,000.

There is competition for Toyota, the blog stated. Hyundai, which is building a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle in Tucson, Arizona, also plans to bring a similar vehicle to the Southern California market. Honda, Mercedes-Benz and General Motors also are working on hydrogen vehicles for commercial use.

"Hydrogen power is seen by some as the ultimate clean fuel," wrote Paul Eisenstein of The Detroit Bureau. "The lightweight gas is combined with oxygen from the air inside a device called a fuel-cell stack. … Fuel cells can offer better range than current lithium-ion batteries, and hydrogen vehicles can be refueled in minutes, far faster than a battery-car can be recharged. Meanwhile, the only exhaust gas is water vapor."

Entrepreneur Mark Rogowsky wrote in Forbes last month that the lack of fueling stations and price are hurdles that will prevent the public from embracing a hydrogen fuel-cell in 2015 or anytime soon.

"Toyota keeps telling the world, 'this is like the Prius, people made fun of that too!'
But the first Prius could refuel at every gas station in America," Rogowsky wrote. "So even though the range of the vehicle will easily eclipse, say, the Tesla Model S, one of those vehicles can comfortably be driven between San Francisco and Los Angeles. And it's not the Toyota."

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