Unveiled today at CES, Toyota debuted it’s latest Fuel Cell Vehicle concept car. Toyota fuel cell vehicles combine pure hydrogen with air to create water, a reaction that also produces electricity. The fuel cell channels the electricity to a drive motor, powering the car.
The fuel cell vehicle had been a long time coming: The company started working on it more than 20 years ago, in 1992, in Japan, getting the first model on the road for testing in 1996. Technological advancements and price reductions have recently made it possible to now offer the car in greater volumes.
While the company said the car would come to market next year, other than that, not everything has been decided. No price points yet, though Toyota said it wants the cars to be accessible and “reasonably priced.” The official name of the vehicle and specific volume of cars in each market will be announced later.
Toyota said the car will initially launch in California. The biggest factor is building enough specialized fuel stations in a particular market for it to be convenient to an owner. The company said it is working with the University of California, Irvine, to map out locations for station sites from the San Francisco Bay Area to San Diego. Toyota said the state has already approved $200 million in funding to build about 20 stations by 2015, and a total of 40 by the year after that.
The future looks greener than ever before. Would you consider buying this fuel concept car when it’s available next year?
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