The upcoming debut of the bZ4X, the company’s first battery-powered electric vehicle, has sparked suspicion that it may move away from hydrogen-powered cars, which it has pioneered in recent years.
Manufacturers have been experimenting with hydrogen fuel cell technology in automobiles for decades, but efforts have been hindered by a lack of replenishing infrastructure. Toyota, on the other hand, has refuted reports that it is abandoning its hydrogen ambitions.
Hydrogen takes a little longer to develop than BEVs (battery-electric vehicles) since the infrastructure is so important. However, it is changing.
“Toyota is completely dedicated to hydrogen, and we are fully focused on all technologies – whether that’s EV, fuel cell, hybrid, or plug-in hybrid,” said Erik Gustafsson, project head of communications for the bZ4X. We are certain that they must collaborate in order to achieve global carbon neutrality.”
Only Hyundai and Toyota sell hydrogen cars in the United Kingdom, with Toyota’s Mirai recently released for a second generation and having a reasonable 400-mile range.
Despite Toyota’s dedication to the technology, the company admits that hydrogen has its drawbacks.
“Hydrogen is a little slower to grow than BEV (battery-electric cars) since the primary draw is on the infrastructure,” said Vincent Dewaersegger, senior manager of product communications at Toyota. It is, nevertheless, evolving.
“We will continue with fuel cell cars, and the commercial side of things with commercial vehicles will be the important trigger.” This will aid in the infrastructure’s development, and eventually, it will become more prevalent in passenger automobiles.”
There are only about 15 public hydrogen car filling stations in the UK, with the majority of these in and around the southeast.
Aberdeen, on the other hand, is one of Europe’s first hydrogen cities, with two publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations at Kittybrewster and the Aberdeen City Hydrogen Energy Storage facility (ACHES).
With the world’s first fleet of fuel cell double-decker buses from Wright Bus, Aberdeen City Council boasts one of Europe’s largest fleets of hydrogen vehicles.
The fleet was taken out of operation for a short time earlier this month due to mechanical concerns.
