The Toyota Prius hydrogen will be a reality in 2015

The Toyota Prius has been the benchmark car when talking about hybrid cars. Now the Japanese brand wants to be a point of reference for hybrid cars once again. According to certain Toyota executives, in a few years we will see the market launch of its first commercial venture with hydrogen cars.

The initiative has begun with a new presentation at the show circuit of the FCV, a hydrogen car that would deliver around 500 kilometers of range with zero emissions and which already has a launch date: 2015.

Basically, the Hybrid Synergy Drive system and the hydrogen-based system of Toyota have many similarities: The Hybrid Synergy Drive system is already used in Toyota’s hybrids, but the engine and the petrol tank will be replaced by hydrogen tanks. The 21 kW batteries and the electrical components will be kept.

The first obstacle that this and other similar models will face is the lack of hydrogen refuelling points, which are not very common throughout the world. In addition, the retail price of the production FCV would exceed 80,000 euros, which is not exactly as affordable as one might wish.

Source | autoguide