Toyota Develops Hydrogen Cartridges For Fueling On The Go
The Japanese manufacturer is working on developing portable hydrogen cartridges that can help reduce the need for FCEV (hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) to carry large and heavy tanks. The company has been working on the technology for several years.
It’s part of the company’s multi-pathway approach of looking at diverse viable energy options and will be exhibited at Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2024. The event will be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture from Tuesday, 15th October to Friday, 18th October.
In 2022, Toyota and its subsidiary, Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. developed a working prototype of its hydrogen cartridge. The goal was to ensure it was a portable, affordable, and convenient energy storage system that could be carried anywhere it’s needed.
This prototype is 400 mm (16″) in length x 180 mm (7″) in diameter and has a target weight of 5kg. It’s supposed to be swappable for easy replacement and quick recharging. The remarkable thing about hydrogen is that it can be used to fuel electric vehicles as well as traditional internal combustion engine ones.
Toyota also says the cartidges will be beneficial in remote areas that do not have sufficient energy supply and during disasters. In such situations, these hydrogen cartridges can be dispatched in an instant and supplied to places that need them most.
If the technology matures enough for mainstream use, it could be a game changer for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as well. As of now, FCEVs play a secondary role to conventional EVs because of the lack of infrastructure and poor power density that hydrogen offers.
This new cartridge is being designed to make hydrogen a familiar and safe energy source that can be used in a variety of situations. Toyota also teamed up with Rinnau Corporation to develop a hydrogen-powered cooker. It combusts hydrogen in portable hydrogen cartridges to create fire and heat like how a conventional stove works.
The company has far reaching goals with hydrogen power. It plans on finding technologies that match with ideas and needs of various companies and startups. In doing so, it hopes to strengthen its efforts or accelerate hydrogen use for the creation of a “hydrogen society”.
There’s no news yet on when Toyota’s cartridges will be ready for use with consumer FCEVs but the company is adamant that it sees a future here. Currently, most hydrogen is generated from fossil fuel and used for industrial purposes for fertilizer production and petroleum refining.
But to bring the Zero Emission claim to fruition, it will have to work to improve on the current standards and lean on renewable sources of energy for its production.
