Toyota Motor Corporation (NYSE: TM) has developed a fuel cell hybrid vehicle that can travel more than 500 miles on a single tank of hydrogen.
The zero-emissions FCHV out-travels the 205-mille range of its predecessor model, by adding a slightly larger fuel tank, a doubling of fuel storage pressure, a 25% increase in fuel cell efficiency and changes to its regenerative breaking system, the company said.
The vehicle is similar to Toyota’s popular Prius model in that it runs part-time on an electric motor. However, this vehicle also is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, instead of an internal-combustion gasoline motor.
The company said it also improved low-temperature starts–down to temperatures as low as -22F, which present obstacles to widespread fuel cell vehicle use.
The vehicle will be provided for test-rides during the July 7-9 Hokkaido Toyako Summit of G8 nations. It will be available for leasing in Japan later this year but there are currently no plans to make the car available overseas, the company said.
Toyota also said it will begin assembling hybrid cars in Australia as early as in 2010, according to a Reuters report.
Toyota, the world’s biggest automaker, plans to build a few thousand Camry hybrids a year at the 150,000 unit-a-year Altona factory in Victoria.
The move is designed to help the company achieve its annual sales goal of 1 million hybrid vehicles soon after 2010.
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