Saturday, November 23, 2013
The future of car manufacturing is just around the corner.
Japanese carmaker Toyota has said it is looking to start commercial sales of fuel cell-powered cars by 2015.
Toyota set the target as it unveiled a concept fuel cell powered car, called the FCV, at the Tokyo Motor Show.
Its cells can be recharged within minutes and it can cover about 500km (300 miles) on a single charge, according to the firm.
Earlier this week, rival Hyundai said it plans to start mass production of such cars as early as next year.
The South Korean company has announced plans to start commercial sales of a fuel cell-powered version of its sports utility vehicle, the Tucson, in the US market.
Honda Motor is also expected to unveil its latest concept version of a fuel cell-powered vehicle later this week.
Many carmakers have been looking to develop the fuel cell technology further and bring it to mass production.
One of the main reasons is that it is emission-free.
The technology uses hydrogen to generate electricity to power the engine and the waste products are heat and harmless water.
At the same time, fuel cells charge much faster and travel a longer distance after being charged, compared with battery-operated electric cars.
I have to admit that I have been waiting for some real movement on this front for quite some time now. As a matter of fact I have been keeping my Durango tuned up and in good repair hoping that it will last long enough for me to move to a non-fossil fuel powered car with my next purchase.
I had some hopes of going electric, but this actually sounds much more promising. IF they can work out the issue of getting enough hydrogen filling stations built to meet demand.
Oh well, here's hoping that the oil companies don't do everything in their power to destroy our chances of moving to this new technology like they once did in response to the electric car.
By the way this is one of the few topics these days on which my daughter and I are in complete agreement.
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