Toyota's hydrogen ambitions extend far beyond the Mirai

Toyota’s hydrogen ambitions extend far beyond the Mirai It's not the Mirai but rather what's inside the Mirai that is important to Toyota Motor Corp.'s grand hydrogen plans. For a company that sells more than 11 million vehicles annually, the roughly 26,000 hydrogen fuel cell Mirais sold globally since the sedan's 2014 introduction is less than a rounding error. However, the zero-emission vehicle doesn't need to succeed commercially to play an outsize role in Toyota's future. The automaker can deploy the same fuel cell stack that is the Mirai's heart in heavy-duty trucks, stationary power generators and port equipment, and in other high-value uses as many industries work to reduce their carbon footprints. Rivals such as Honda Motor Co. and General Motors have similarly broad ambitions. Toyota executives consider it a core technology for business and decarbonization goals. "The fuel cell itself is easily scalable across a wide range of products — from a single kilowatt fuel cell module to a 1-megawatt system or larger," said Jordan Choby, group vice president for powertrain at Toyota Motor North America, Research and Development. Toyota's second-generation Mirai fuel cell stack is 70.5 pounds and produces a maximum 128 kilowatts, or 172 hp. The stack combines hydrogen with oxygen from the air, creating a chemical reaction that generates an electric current. Water is the only emission. It works as a building block. — Jerry Hirsch Read the full story here. What you need to know

Toyota's hydrogen ambitions extend far beyond the Mirai

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