A task force made up of Japan's major industrial, energy and manufacturing companies and political parties has been established to ensure that country becomes "the dominant force" in the field of hydrogen-powered transportation, where hydrogen is converted to electricity for propulsion, which would effectively eliminate the internal-combustion engine.
The task force will focus on issues concerning infrastructure and the cost of hydrogen-powered vehicles, says The Hydrogen News. Toyota, Honda and Nissan all have plans to launch hydrogen-powered vehicles in the near future.
Toyota intends to sell its hydrogen vehicle for about US $51,000, says The Hydrogen News.
The ultimate cost of these vehicles is expected to be lower, however, "as the task force formulates subsidy plans and tax reforms to make these vehicles more available to a wider range of consumers."
Huge increase in electric car sales About 41,000 battery-electric cars were sold in the United States through June this year, accounting for a one-half of one per cent of all new car and truck sales.
Incentives and price cuts have led to a 385-per-cent increase in sales during the first six months of 2013 compared to the same period last year.
Hydrogen fuel cells? A U.K.-based chemical-engineering company says it has developed a hydrogen fuel cell that doubles the U.S. department of Energy's hydrogen fuel-cell durability standard.
Acal says its engine has been tested too run 10,000 hours, or the equivalent of about 500,000 kilometres of driving.
Toyota to debut fuelcell sedan in Tokyo The automaker that defied skeptics in the 1990s with its Prius gasoline-electric hybrid four-door car is planning a fuelcell sequel, reports Bloomberg news service.
Toyota will show its 2015 hydrogen-powered sedan at the Tokyo Motor Show in November.
It could be available in the United States as early as next year.
It would be sold "for a price comparable to a mid-size BMW or Tesla Model S."
Some carmakers predicted a decade ago that millions of hydrogen-fuelled vehicles would be on the roads by now, but development hurdles and an ongoing lack of hydrogen-delivery infrastructure have blunted the effort.
Hydrogen cars will be "genuinely better" vehicles over the long term than gasoline-burning or battery-only autos, says the International Council on Clean Transportation.
In a fuel-cell vehicle, hydrogen is converted to electricity for propulsion, eliminating battery charging and gasoline.
