Toyota an acclaimed auto manufacturer is among the first to plunge into advanced car technologies. The company has emerged with two spectacular hybrid products Camry and Prius. Eco car technology has gone a long way; new theories are being developed on a daily basis. The latest is hydrogen powered vehicles.

Toyota is keen to go the hydrogen fuel way, and has ended its contract with Tesla, a reputed firm that supplies electric car components. Toyota’s association with Tesla lies in supply of batteries. The company is of the view hydrogen fuelled cars are a better alternative to conventional fuels.

Toyota invested $50 million to partner with Tesla to grab hold of 3% stake in Silicon Valley in 2010. The company signed a $100 million joint collaboration deal in 2011 for RAV4 Crossover product SUV. The car is equipped with electric engines designed by Tesla. RAV4 is the source to push the contract business to a higher level. There weren’t many buyers for RAV4 electric car, lesser than average purchasers implies a not so reliable technology.

Toyota visions hydrogen fuel cells to be an efficient source of zero emission technology. The company was among the first to invest in electric cars, and is the largest producer of gas electric hybrids. It is surprising to learn that Toyota is not keen to dig into the electric car segments that run on gas and electricity.

Toyota will experiment with hydrogen fuel cells in a sedan model, and will launch the car in 2015 in California. The company is keen to build hydrogen fuel stations to support fuel cell technology. John O Dell, a greencar analyst at auto-research site Edmunds.com said, ‘’Toyota visions a bright future with zero emission hydrogen vehicle. ‘’

Auto makers all over the globe are seeking robust alternatives to traditional fuels. Nissan manufactured an electric car called Leaf in 2010. It is the world’s first mass developed electric vehicle. General Motors a reputed American based firm introduced plug-in Chevrolet Volt. The chief executive of Toyota Akio Toyoda in joint news conference with Tesla in 2010 stated, ‘’the firm was seeking all options, and had not yet decided on best low-emission technology. We will go buy what suits customers best, and we want to be ready with answers.

Toyota’s first all electric vehicle was launched in 2012, the company could not draw many customers. The electric car market was not doing too well, because of concerns on cost and feasibility. The company said that it will focus on X sport utility vehicle, but the car did not do very well. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the latest hot research topics in eco-car segment. It is a more convenient source to run vehicles, with no dependence on external sources like plug-ins. The end result is clean and green surrounding with zero carbon-dioxide emissions.

A fuel cell vehicle looks like any other car from outside; the insides are stacked with high-tech components. There is a fuel cell stack that converts stored hydrogen gas with oxygen in atmosphere to form electricity that drives the vehicle.

From the description it is evident that hydrogen fuels are more convenient sources of eco-friendly cars. There is no requirement of charge sockets, the vehicle runs on electricity produced by the combination of hydrogen with oxygen. It will be interesting to witness how far the technology is used in the near future.

Tagged: Toyota Hydrogen powered sedan