Featured Toyota's New Bet on Hydrogen

It wasn't so much someone HERE said Toyota's throwing in the towel . . . rather someone here posted an article about the Mirai .....

Toyota is planning long-range battery-powered electric cars for 2020 as its hydrogen fuel cells cars are failing | Electrek

.... kinda sorta being a fail, based on the idea that Toyota claims they're finally getting their act together to make a decent long range EV ... coupled with the Mirai fuel stack recalls ... coupled with the car being too expensive .... coupled with difficulty generating sales despite big ads ... coupled with the outrage that a trillion dollar infrastructure has to come from taxpayers ...

but that doesn't mean toyota's giving up

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..that's probably it

 

I think that there are plenty of trucks that follow a pretty much fixed route with a single refueling spot. Lots of delivery trucks, mail and packages between cities, etc.

Electric trucks have some interesting design options. You can put a battery in the main tractor unit and haul any trailer. And then, special trailers can include an additional battery (thick floor) for extended range or refrigeration for local deliveries (fast food, groceries)

Mike

 

Regular routes and private fueling stations is what allowed Frito-Lay to switch some of their trucks to CNG when they started the program. They support public stations as it expands.
Frito-Lay CNG Fleet’s 100 Million Miles | Fleets and Fuels.com
They also run electric delivery trucks.

And that illustrates the problem with hydrogen. Depending on the role and route of the truck, electric or CNG is a more cost effective solution here, that provides most or all of the benefits hydrogen is supposed to do.

 

T Boone Picken's plan is natural gas for trucks, and we are moving somewhat in that direction as it makes sense for America. H2 for trucks is a stretch I think, but for Japan may make sense. H2 FCV has some important applications eg fork lifts etc.

Who is doing the reforming Australia or Japan? In any case, making H2 from coal is an example of a relatively clean coal process. much better than combustion. But it is expensive and nobody (except a few eg; South Africa) do it.

 

It is being done in Australia, and then the hydrogen is shipped to Japan.