Toyota Hydrogen Car to Ride on Lexus Platform
When Toyota’s much talked-about hydrogen fuel cell vehicle arrives, it will ride on modified underpinnings from the now defunct Lexus HS250.
A name hasn’t been announced for the vehicle, but Toyota says cost associated with building the vehicles have been reduced. According to the company, initial prototypes cost $1 million each. Toyota has since manage to reduce those costs.
Now, Toyota will be able to start selling the vehicles for between $50,000 and $100,000. The company has already committed to selling its hydrogen-powered car by 2015, and has said that by 2020, it will be priced similarly to plug-in hybrid vehicles.
SEE ALSO: Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle to Cost Between $50—100K
Driving range is supposed to be about 311 miles per fueling, which places the vehicles in similar territory as a Tesla Model S. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles don’t require recharging like the Model S or other electric cars, but refueling infrastructure is virtually non-existent. Currently, there are only 10 stations in the U.S.
But Toyota isn’t the only company working to bring the technology to market. Honda currently offers a limited number of its hydrogen-powered mid-size FCX Clarity sedans and it is expected to release the new generation by 2015. Hyundai is also planning to begin selling hydrogen-powered vehicles in the next year.
GALLERY: Toyota FCV-R Concept
[Source: Detroit News]
Discuss this story at our Green Energy Forum.
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
More by Luke Vandezande
Comments
Join the conversation