2007 LA Auto Show: Toyota FCHV Concept Preview

In addition to showing off the new Sequoia, Toyota brought one of its Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicles to Los Angeles. Still covered in dirt from a 2,300 mile trip from Fairbanks, Alaska, to Vancouver, B.C., the Highlander-based truck had passed some important tests. Reliability, durability and range under cold, harsh conditions were put to the test. A test run in Japan from Osaka to Tokyo had already shown that the vehicle’s range was at least 300 miles. The American side of Toyota wanted to show how far development has advanced, so it took on the Alcan Highway through remote parts of the Yukon.

With Honda ready to bring a fuel-cell hybrid vehicle to market next year, Toyota has to show that it’s still very much in the game. The 300 mile range is important because that’s an acceptable level to most car buyers, and starting and operation in cold temperatures is critical to the success of fuel cells as a mass-market solution. Throw in several hundred miles of road through the tundra, and you’ve got worthy test. A mobile re-fueling rig was needed because there aren’t hydrogen stations every 300 miles. Toyota was happy to report no issues during the 2,300 mile trip.

Toyota took its mid-size sport utility vehicle and implanted a hydrogen fuel cell and the Synergy Drive system used in the Prius. The FCHV system has four hydrogen tanks, an electric motor, a nickel-metal hydride battery and a power control unit. Hydrogen is combined with oxygen the fuel cell stack, producing electricity, which drives the electric motor and charges the battery. The power control unit determines when to use the battery and when to use the fuel cell stack. Water vapor is the only byproduct of generating power this way, so the FCHV is certified as a Zero Emissions Vehicle.

“This new system was developed to deal with two major challenges to the refinement of fuel-cell power-trains. That is, starting and operating in cold temperatures and standing up to the vibration and harshness of rough road conditions…over a long distance…over a long time. Equally important, was to show how the development of Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell powertrains continue to move forward and mature at an impressive pace, far in advance of an infrastructure that will be necessary to support them.”

Toyota has 18 FCHVs on the road in the United States and Japan, many of them used in technology and marketing research. While the largest/almost largest/sometimes largest automaker is behind Honda on bringing something to market, the seven days spent dodging elk, caribou and buffalo on the Alcan Highway shows Toyota’s technology is close. So the question becomes, in which model does it appear first? Highlander and Camry would be good places to start.

By Bob Beamesderfer Photo Credit: Oliver Bentley