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Toyota has begun deliveries of the world’s first market-ready fuel cell vehicle. The first Toyota FCHV fuel cell vehicles have gone to government departments in Japan.

Toyota Motor Corporation has developed the FCHV (fuel-cell hybrid-electric vehicle) to generate its own on-board electricity with compressed hydrogen.

The first four Toyota FCHVs have been leased initially to customers in the Tokyo metropolitan area, which has the necessary infrastructure, including hydrogen-supply facilities, and an inspection and maintenance system suitable for the vehicle.

Japan’s Cabinet Secretariat, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation and the Ministry of the Environment are the first customers.

Toyota says the Toyota FCHV customer list will eventually include other government bodies at local level, and energy-related businesses.

Toyota has also begun a program to help establish a FCHV community in California linking government, education and industry. It will also include partner-providers of critical hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

The program has begun with the delivery of the first two Toyota FCHVs to the University of California campuses at Irvine and Davis, where they will be trialled on a lease basis for 30 months.

The latest Toyota FCHV features an advanced fuel-cell system with enhanced reliability and durability based on the FCHV-4 prototype.

Toyota engineers succeeded in giving the FCHV-4 three times the vehicle efficiency of an ordinary petrol-powered car.

The Toyota FCHV applies hybrid technologies honed in the petrol/electric Toyota Prius and other Toyota hybrid vehicles.

It finely regulates power flow from the Toyota Fuel Cell Stack and battery to achieve both high efficiency and luxury car-like driving performance.

Based on the Highlander mid-size SUV, the FCHV is powered by a proprietary high-output 90kW Toyota FC Stack, which is no larger than a conventional petrol engine.

The fuel cell stack also works in tandem with a secondary nickel-metal hydride battery to give the vehicle regenerative braking and other attributes derived from its unique hybrid system.

The Toyota FCHV has a top speed of nearly 150km/h and a cruising range of more than 250km. Each of the four high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks mounted under the rear cargo deck has a maximum storage pressure of 3,600 PSI (25 MPa). Toyota hopes to increase the pressure for improved cruising range.

Toyota is looking at several other fuel sources in addition to hydrogen. These include natural gas, methanol and a relatively new concept called CHF, or clean hydrocarbon fuel.

CHF can be made from petroleum or other resources such as natural gas and coal and will also work in current petrol-powered cars.

Norihiko Nakamura, an executive advisory engineer responsible for Toyota’s fuel cell development, points out that it will be at least 10 years before any manufacturer has a fuel cell powered-vehicle ready for mass marketing to consumers.

He based his forecast on problems such as improving energy levels, perfecting on-board hydrogen storage, developing systems that use a variety of fuels and establishing an infrastructure for distribution of the fuels.