Toyota unveils exterior and Japan market pricing of new fuel cell vehicle

Toyota is putting a fuel cell vehicle in the market next year, its as-yet-unnamed hydrogen-powered fuel sedan set for a Japanese domestic market launch in April 2015 followed by US and European introduction in the summer of the same year.

First shown to the public as a concept vehicle in last year’s Tokyo Motor Show, the new fuel cell sedan will go on sale at Toyota and Toyopet dealerships, priced at approximately 7 million yen (MSRP; excludes consumption tax); converted to ringgit, that adds up to over RM220k at a conversion rate of RM1 to 31.5649 yen. US and Europe prices have yet to be decided.

Sporting similar dimensions to a D-segment sedan, the Toyota FCV Concept, as it was then known in Tokyo, measures 4,870mm long by 1,810mm wide with a wheelbase of 2,780mm. Its body is designed specially for fuel cell applications, with the necessary space and mountings to accommodate two 70MPa high-pressure hydrogen tanks mounted underbody.

The new vehicle is the culmination of 20 years of in-house work by Toyota in the development of fuel cell technology. The company’s system includes a proprietary FC Stack, which generates electricity from the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, and high-pressure hydrogen tanks.

Toyota claims that the vehicle features performance similar to a gasoline engine vehicle, with a cruising range of approximately 700 km tested in the JC08 cycle. Question of CO₂ does not arise, as the only emission of this vehicle is water vapour generated by the hydrogen-oxygen chemical reaction of the fuel cell.

KON

Pictures: Official Toyota release.