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Toyota’s Fuel Cell Breakthrough
Written by: Autocar staff   http://www.autocar.co.uk
06/10/2008 - 08:10 AM
Tokyo, Japan
 
FCHV-Adv has a range of 510 miles on a single tank of Hydrogen. (Toyota photo) ยป More Photos

Toyota has announced what it claims is a major breakthrough in fuel cell technology, with a new prototype that is capable of more than doubling the range of previous fuel cell vehicles.

The Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle – Advanced (or FCHV-Adv) has a range of 510 miles on a single 156-liter tank of Hydrogen – the company’s previous-generation FCHV could only extract 205 miles from its 148-liter tank. More important, from the point of view of corporate honor, the FCHV-Adv has double the claim range of the Honda FCX Clarity.

The dramatic extension in range has been achieved by improving the performance of the fuel cell, improving regenerative
braking which feeds a battery-hybrid system and reducing the amount of power consumed by auxiliary systems.

Changes to the fuel cell involved reducing the loss of efficiency caused by the generation of unwanted water, which has dramatically improved the FCHV-Adv’s cold-start abilities, and allows it to operate in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius.

The news indicates that, independent of its leadership in the petrol hybrid sector, Toyota continues to take the development of a fuel-cell powered vehicle seriously. Only time will tell if it turns out to be a visionary re-invention of the car or a technological blind alley.
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