SPY PICS: Toyota FCV Caught Refueling In SoCal

The Toyota FCV hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is set to debut next year, and we’ve got exclusive spy pics of a camouflaged test mule refueling in SoCal. Though it may look rather plain, the Toyota FCV packs potentially world-changing technology beneath its camouflaged skin.

If you took a good long look, the shape isn’t actually that much different from the Toyota FCV Concept that’s been making the rounds at major auto shows. Said to be priced between $50,000 and $100,000, Toyota has long held the belief that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are far superior to pure EVs because of their ability to refuel rapidly. Yet Toyota seems to have opted for a decidedly toned-down look for the FCV, doing away with the sharp headlights, flowing lines, and gaping lower grillwork that made the concept some attention-grabbing. What we’re left with is another bland and boring Toyota sedan that will easily be lost in the masses of automobiles that call America home.

Still, Toyota thinks it can move 10,000 FCVs in the first year of sales alone.

Look’s aside, Toyota’s fuel cell technology has improved by leaps and bounds over the past decade, and this test mule is an indicator of just how close we are to getting fuel cell vehicles on our roads. Toyota is aiming for a 300 mile range on a full tank of hydrogen, more driving range than even the top-tier Tesla Model S.

Unfortunately, the hydrogen refueling infrastructure is currently all but non-existent, with just none refueling stations currently open in SoCal (the FCV’s launching point), and another 17 under way scattered around Southern California. But Toyota and other hydrogen-boosting automakers are working with the State of California on establishing a $200 million hydrogen refueling network that consists of another 28 stations and a mobile refueler. That infrastructure will be key to convincing people to switch to hydrogen, though I remain inherently skeptical of the superiority of hydrogen vehicles. It seems to me infinitely easier to recharge an electric vehicle at home, than to drive around looking for one of a handful of hydrogen fueling stations.

But there were those who said the same about electric vehicles. Judging from these spy pics and available details, do you think the Toyota FCV has what it takes to make hydrogen believers out of skeptics?

Images: Original content from Gas 2, courtesy Draagspeed.

Toyota’s 2015 Fuel Cell Car Aims For 300-Mile Range

The Toyota 2015 FCV-R should achieve a range of 300 miles per charge, making it the longest-range electric vehicle on the market, beating even the Tesla Model S. But with the Toyotal not due out for a few more years, electric vehicles still have plenty of time to catch up.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles still have the major advantage of quick refueling, while electric cars can finally be charged in less than an hour. However, without much of a hydrogen fueling infrastructure, these hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are limited to a very small area of the U.S. where filling stations are, negating their long-range advantage.

Even with a 300-mile range, the Tesla Model S with the 85 kWh battery pack isn’t very far behind, with an EPA rating of 265 miles per charge. And with its new battery-swapping stations, the Tesla Model S can be “refilled” in the same time it takes to fill a tank of gas. By 2015, any advantage hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles may have could completely disappear.

Even so, automakers like Toyota seem wedded to the technology. At the Aspen Ideas Festival, the FCV-R will be on display, along with the FCHV-adv, RAV4 EV, and Lexus LS to “showcase advanced technology vehicles that are on the road today.” Toyota has pledged to begin selling a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle by 2015, and has said it will sell for between $50,000 and $100,000.

Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles finally seem like a possibility in the 21st century, but by the time they hit the market, will electric vehicles have already surpassed them in range and convenience? 

Source: Toyota

2015 Toyota hydrogen fuel cell car will have 300-mile range, Tokyo debut

The details on the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that Toyota will be offering in 2015 remain woefully scarce, but as we get closer to some sort of reveal at this year's Tokyo Motor Show in November, a few details are emerging. For one, that we will see the car at the Tokyo show.

That's the word from Bloomberg, anyway, which goes on to say that Toyota could introduce the fuel cell sedan to the US in 2014 as a 2015 model, "for a price comparable to a mid-size BMW or Tesla Model S." That narrows down the previously hinted-at price of between $50,000 and $100,000 a bit. Last month, Toyota's Chris Hostetter, Toyota USA's group vice president of strategic planning, told reporters the car will cost in the neighborhood of $50,000, "depending on how big your neighborhood is" and that it will have a range of 300 miles. That's the kind of math that led Tesla CEO Elon Musk to say fuel cells were really "fool cells," last month (see Bloomberg for more).

Toyota revealed the FCV-R fuel cell vehicle concept (pictured) at Tokyo in 2011. This week, it is leading a "Future of Mobility Conversation" at the 2013 Aspen Ideas Festival and is once again talking about hydrogen fuel cell vehicles with Toyota's Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle – Advanced (FCHV-adv) in tow.

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News Source: Toyota, Bloomberg