Toyota Motor Company has 20 years of R&D invested in hydrogen fuel cell technology and one huge hurdle remaining in the global marketplace: dearth of filling stations.
While the company tested its revolutionary Mirai in Yellowknife's -30 C temperatures, it will not be releasing the 2016 model later this year in Canada. There is no decision yet on whether we'll see the Mirai in showrooms the following year. To date, neither the federal nor provincial governments have shown much interest in supporting the infrastructure required for hydrogen fuel cell fill-ups; discussions are in early days.
"We believe real change requires collaboration," said Bob Carter, senior vice-president of Toyota U.S.A.
He announced at the Consumer Electronics Show Monday that the car will come to market in California and the northeast U.S., this October. He also announced that more than 5,600 patents will be made available royalty-free until 2020, to any company seeking to build a hydrogen fuel-celled vehicle.
"We're offering all our R&D to our competition," he said later. A dollar amount for the value of that gesture? "Best I can figure is, it's enormous."
Tesla released some patents as well with a similar objective – to spur infrastructure.
In a scrum, Carter was asked about the irony of testing in Canada without having the capacity to sell the vehicle in the country.
"I can't speak directly for Canada, but once we had the ball rolling in California, the epicentre, it quickly migrated to the northeast," he said. "Once consumer demand is there and the infrastructure is there, it takes off. I relate it this way – 25 years ago we introduced the Prius. There was a lot of skepticism at the time and here we are today. This will be on a similar path. We will be much further along in 2020 but this is a start."
The obvious strategy is to create pressure on governments to stimulate the advance of hydrogen filling stations. Toyota is working with a company in California to build them, providing a loan of more than $70 million.
The Mirai has a 480-kilometre range, zips from 0-to-100 km/h in about nine seconds, and takes a maximum of five minutes to fill -- a huge advantage over electric cars.
"We are very active in battery development," Carter said. "There is a roll for full electrics in the market but the weight of the batteries, the costs, the limited range and long recharge times, there are no quick solutions coming. For consumers who find those hurdles a reason not to purchase, this vehicle offers a solution."
Physicist and popular speaker Michio Kaku, appearing for Toyota, made a case that hydrogen fuel cell technology represents a breakaway from the hydrocarbon era.
"The perfect car creates waste so pure you can practically drink it," he said.
The car mixes hydrogen and oxygen on board and release gas that dissipates in the atmosphere.
Appearing for Toyota and the hydrogen fuel cell Mirai, physicist Michio Kaku says we are leaving hydrocarbon age for the age of hydrogen.
— Tom Maloney (@toallfields) January 5, 2015Dr. Mikio Kaku, says the hydrogen fuel cell Mirai will be environmental game changer. Avail in US in October. pic.twitter.com/YTC7uHyrpy
— Tom Maloney (@toallfields) January 5, 2015Mirai was tested in Yellowknife but without hydrogen infrastructure Canada won't see it anytime soon. To be sold in US northeast and Calif.
— Tom Maloney (@toallfields) January 5, 2015Like us on Facebook
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