This is a well written article. You can tell it wasn't written by a plughead. -------------------------------------------------------- The Mirai, which means “future” in Japanese, retails for $57,500 before incentives, and Toyota is hoping it will mirror the success of the Prius. Toyota anticipatesannual sales of the Mirai to reach 3,000 by 2017 and 30,000 by 2020, a tenfold increase. By the middle of the century, Toyota recently announced it will phase-out gasoline-powered cars entirely. Not all are in agreement: Goldman Sachs analysts estimate that fuel cell vehicles will account for 0.5 percent of total global vehicle sales by 2025. But amidst the pomp and circumstance surrounding the U.S. launch of the Mirai, questions remain surrounding Toyota’s model for advancing fuel cell technology. How will the company address range and fuel capacity? How will Toyota lower fuel prices when current costs can be high? And who is going to build out the infrastructure to support hydrogen-powered FCVs? More info: The Fuse | Three Challenges Confronting the Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Vehicle
Interesting.....I was driving in New York City last spring around the time of the NY auto show. I was in traffic and was behind this unique looking Toyota which caught my attention. I suddenly noticed this vehicle did not have any tailpipe! I believe I was looking at the new Mirai. It almost looks like a Camry with some extra refinements to make it appear different.
? ? ? ? ? plug head | WordReference Forums I'm with him; maybe once I get past the (possibly insulting?) term - I can maybe guess what this whole article pertains to, or rehashes? in any event, does anyone really need a special article to know what 3 (or more things are that prevent hydrogen from being auto transportaion? 1) $100,000 cars (without manufacture eating 1/2 the cost) 2) HUGE hydrogen vehicle maintenance cost, evidenced by all the trial buses previously attempted (links already supplied via several threads, ad nausium, ad infinitum) 3) Hydrogen fuel costs 4) Hydrogen fuel production via non-renewables 5) Hydrogen infrastructure (billions of taxpayer dollars burdened) whoops - I tried to reduce to 3, but that's the best one can really do. best to just read, "The Hydrogen Hoax" by one of the premier authorities on hydrogen, during NASA's heyday. .
Cars too, to the gas pump, and fuel cells to the natural gas hose, for reforming ... so - any other obvious statements we didn't cover?? I hate to have to keep recovering the same diatribe, but as long as the hydrogen smoke and mirrors continues, I'm up to going the distance. .
The article says $12 per kg H2 is equivalent to $4.80 per gallon gasoline. I guess they are comparing a 67 MPGe Mirai with an electric motor and a hybrid-style battery pack to a 27 mpg conventional car? If they compared a Mirai with a 47 mpg Honda Accord hybrid that has electric motors and a hybrid battery pack then that $12 H2 would be like $8.42 gasoline but that's not a good story so let's not say that.... Typical.
I just find it interesting about the H2 economics. Gas distribution infrastructure is paid for by the fuel buyer. Electric distribution infrastructure is paid for by the end user. Even NG distribution is paid for by the fuel users. Yet H2 infrastructure is to be paid for by the taxpayer...so the end user does not have to pay for it.
Each decade that tons of dough was given to moving fuel cell tech forward was ostensibly done so that it could gain a foothold, and then get cheaper. So they said. That continues to be the rationale, decade after decade, like it or not.
In the land of hydrogen cars here . . . . saw one MB saw one highlander saw one clarity that's it. but will keep everyone posted (crickets) .
Seems to me the article over-simplified H2 cost per gallon. Believe DOE also said about $4/gal equiv. but it breaks down into H2 production (which ought to be cheap in USA right now with cheap nat gas) but compression costs adds a couple bucks.
I think you need to swing by an (operating) H2 station where you should see a long line of waiting H2 vehicles.
