Toyota sets up manufacturing capacity for FC components
https://www.electrive.com/2018/05/24/toyota-sets-up-manufacturing-capacity-for-fc-components/
Toyota is preparing for increasing sales of their fuel-cell electric vehicles and
has announced plans to expand their component factory in Japan.
Specifically, the vehicle manufacturer is planning to expand the serial production
of their fuel cell stacks in a new building close to their factory in Honsha.
Furthermore, the factory in Shimoyama will receive a new production line to
manufacture high pressure hydrogen tanks.
The construction of the new hydrogen tank production line is starting in the next
few days, while the new production building for the fuel cell stacks is already
complete, and is now waiting to receive its interior components. Further details
will be released at a later point in time by Toyota. Operations are planned to
begin in 2020, as Toyota expects a major public interest boost in fuel-cell EVs by
then. The Japanese company expects interest to increase ten-fold, from the current
3,000 units sold per year, to around 30,000.
From 2013 to 2017 only 6,475 FCEVs were sold worldwide. The front runners in the
fuel cell area are Toyota with 76% of the market, followed by Honda (13%) and
Hyundai (11%). In an international comparison, the most FCEVs were sold in the
USA, particularly in California, which makes up 53% of sales. The second largest
market is Japan, with 38%, followed by Europe with 9%.
The absolute sales figures are currently very low. Toyota is one of the driving
figures attempting to change this. In December, the company signed an agreement
with Honda, Nissan and eight other companies to start a joint venture. Within four
years, the cooperation plans to establish 80 new hydrogen fuel stations in Japan.
At the end of March, Toyota also presented the serial version of their fuel cell
bus Sora, which they initially presented at the Tokyo Motor Show. The hydrogenpowered bus is the first of its kind to receive official licensing and has been
sold in Japan since.
The company themselves are also planning to produce their vehicles in a carbonneutral way in future. In this vein, the manufacturer installed a hydrogen fuel
station and 20 fuel-cell forklifts at their Motomachi factory.