Toyota Hydrogen Fuel Cell Breakthrough Announced
Toyota’s research and development team is armed with new technology that it hopes will open the door to more durable and efficient fuel cell stacks.
The breakthrough will allow Toyota to monitor how fuel cell catalyst degradation in real time to better understand the burgeoning technology. The 2016 Toyota Mirai is the latest in hydrogen fuel cell transportation technology to reach consumers . Earlier this month, Toyota announced the first eight California dealers that will be able to retail the Mirai.
Through 2017, the supply of Mirais for the U.S. will be limited to 3,000 per year.
SEE ALSO: Toyota MIrai First Drive
Fuel cell vehilces have been available to Californians for years, but more automakers are beginning to offer the alternative fuel technology. Still, companies like Honda, Toyota and Hyundai have major investment hurdles to deal with before hydrogen can become a viable alternative to gasoline.
Toyota’s R&D development, which monitors nanometer-sized particles of platinum during chemical reactions in fuel cells, will allow it to better understand how those particles degrade. Platinum is an essential – and particularly expensive –component in fuel cell stacks.
Discuss this story at our Toyota 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
Limited to 3,000 per year? That's wildly over-optimistic. I'd be surprised if they make 300 total sales by the end of 2017, considering the high price, sluggish performance, and lack of refueling stations. Once the Tesla model 3 and Chevy Bolt come out with a lower cost and higher performance, hydrogen won't be able to compete.