The hydrogen-powered
future has taken another step toward reality, at least if Toyota has anything
to say about it.
Toyota has finally
revealed the final shape and price of its FCV sedan, which runs entirely on
hydrogen. Capable of running anywhere from 300-400 miles per tank, the FCV’s
emissions consist of nothing but water vapor.
The price, at least
when it goes on sale in Japan in early-2015, is set around $69,000.
That significantly
undercuts the price of the highly regarded Tesla Model S electric car, though
it’s a pretty massive financial step from mainstream EVs like the Nissan Leaf.
So what’s the catch, other than the luxury car price? Well, try to think back
to the last time you topped anything up with a fresh tank of hydrogen.
Infrastructure is
going to be a huge hurdle in every automotive market, though the Japanese
government is taking steps to increase hydrogen’s availability to average
consumers. Subsidies, like the ones currently in place for EVs, should also
help lower the price of vehicles such as the FCV.
Toyota has been
building hydrogen concepts and test vehicles for over a decade, but at the
moment the automaker is keeping technical details about the production FCV
under wraps. Based on recent concept vehicles, like the FCV-R, you can expect a
driving range that’s comparable to gas-powered vehicles (350-450 miles is a
solid guess).
The FCV is about
the same size as Camry sedan, though it certainly looks nothing like Toyota’s
mainstream family car. With its bizarre hood, which appears to float above the
car, to its massive front intakes and heavily sculpted sides, the FCV has the
look of a future car.
It sits rather high
up and appears awkwardly tall from some angles, however. Blame the hydrogen
fuel cells, which are placed in the floor of the FCV and necessitate the higher
overall shape.
U.S. sales should
begin sometime in late next year, or early-2016.
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