A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle Toyota Mirai is photographed in Berlin, Germany, in August 2021. The Japanese auto giant has been researching and developing fuel cell vehicles since 1992.
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Giant car Toyotaalong with three other partners, will develop a light fuel cell electric truck with the goal of launching in the Japanese market next year.
In a statement on Tuesday, Toyota said it will partner with Isuzu, Hino Motors and Japan Trade Partner Technology Corporation on the project. Both Isuzu and Hino make similar claims to Toyota on their respective websites.
A potential use case for fuel cell vehicles could be in the supermarket and convenience store sectors, where Toyota says light trucks “are required to drive long distances for many hours to perform. does multiple deliveries in one day.”
The company also lists fast refueling as a requirement for vehicles operating in this segment.
“The use of FC [fuel cell] The technology, which runs on high-energy-density hydrogen and emits no CO2 while driving, is considered effective under such operating conditions,” it added.
According to the company, market introduction is expected after January 2023, with light-duty fuel cell trucks used at distribution sites in Fukushima Prefecture and other projects in Tokyo. .
Hino Motors is part of the Toyota Group, while CJPT is founded by Isuzu, Toyota and Hino in 2021.
Toyota began working on the development of fuel cell vehicles – in which hydrogen from the tank mixes with oxygen to generate electricity – in 1992.
In 2014, it launched the Mirai, a sedan powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. The company says its fuel cell vehicles “exit nothing but water from the exhaust”.
Together with the Mirai, Toyota has embarked on the development of larger hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. These include a bus called the Sora and prototypes of heavy trucks. Besides fuel cells, Toyota is considering the use of hydrogen in internal combustion engines.
Tuesday also see SuzukiDaihatsu, Toyota and CJPT announced plans to introduce small battery commercial vehicles to the market in fiscal year 2023.
“BEV small commercial truck [battery electric vehicle] developed by these four companies will be used by partners in social implementation projects in Fukushima Prefecture and Tokyo,” the announcement said.
Daihatsu is a subsidiary of Toyota. As of March 31, 2022, Toyota has a 4.9% stake in Suzuki.
While Toyota is best known for its hydrogen and hybrid fuel cell vehicles, it is also trying to make headway in the increasingly competitive battery-electric market, where companies prefer Tesla and Volkswagen jostling for a place.
This is not without its challenges. In June 2022, Toyota released a safely recalling more than 2,000 all-electric SUVs, bZ4X.
