Close X
Sunday, January 26, 2025
ADVT 
National

Toyota Partners In Making Wind-power Hydrogen For Fuel Cells

The Canadian Press, 14 Mar, 2016 11:15 AM
    YOKOHAMA, Japan — Toyota Motor Corp. is responding to the main criticism of fuel cell cars, that making the hydrogen for the fuel is not clean, with plans to help make the hydrogen using wind power.
     
    Fuel cells are zero-emission, running on the power created when hydrogen combines with oxygen in the air to make water. But to have a totally clean supply chain, the hydrogen must also be cleanly made. Right now, most hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels.
     
    In a project announced Monday, hydrogen from the wind-power plant Hama Wing in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo, will be compressed and transported by truck to power fuel-cell forklifts at four sites in the area — a factory, a vegetable-and-fruit market and two warehouses.
     
    The project is a partnership between Toyota and the cities of Yokohama and nearby Kawasaki, and the prefectural Kanagawa government.
     
    Japanese electronics and energy company Toshiba Corp. and energy supplier Iwatani Corp. also are involved.
     
    Why not just use the electricity produced by wind power for electric vehicles? Why bother making hydrogen?
     
    Defending the project, Toyota Senior Managing Officer Shigeki Tomoyama stressed that it is easier to store hydrogen than electricity.
     
    Clean hydrogen is the best fix for global warming and energy security, he said.
     
    "A stable supply of CO2-free hydrogen is needed," he told reporters at a Yokohama hotel.
     
    Toyota, which makes the Prius gas-electric hybrid, says electric vehicles are limited because of their cruise range.
     
    Wind-powered hydrogen is expected to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by at least 80 per cent compared with using gas or grid electricity, according to the companies.
     
    The hydrogen trucks, which were newly developed, serve as hydrogen fueling stations for the forklifts.
     
    Japan hopes to become a leader in hydrogen power and plans to showcase its prowess during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Costs and ensuring an adequate hydrogen supply are obvious challenges.
     
    Toyota's Japanese rival Honda Motor Co. rolled out the latest model of its Clarity fuel cell vehicle last week. Toyota's fuel cell vehicle is called the Mirai.
     
    Such vehicles are still too expensive for regular consumers and are mostly leased to ministries and companies.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Vancouver Aquarium Files Copyright Lawsuit Against Documentary Filmmaker Gary Charbonneau

    Gary Charbonneau's documentary "Vancouver Aquarium Uncovered" was posted on YouTube and Vimeo, but he said Vimeo took down the film last week.

    Vancouver Aquarium Files Copyright Lawsuit Against Documentary Filmmaker Gary Charbonneau

    B.C. Murderer Waives Parole Hearing For 1982 Slayings Of Six People

    B.C. Murderer Waives Parole Hearing For 1982 Slayings Of Six People
    David Ennis, who has changed his name from David Shearing since the August 1982 murders, was due for a parole hearing in August.

    B.C. Murderer Waives Parole Hearing For 1982 Slayings Of Six People

    U.S. No-fly List May Have Tripped Up Canadian Youngsters, Minister Ralph Goodale Says

    U.S. No-fly List May Have Tripped Up Canadian Youngsters, Minister Ralph Goodale Says
    The U.S. no-fly list, not Canada's secret air-security roster, might be what has been ensnaring Canadian youngsters, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale is telling several families experiencing travel headaches.

    U.S. No-fly List May Have Tripped Up Canadian Youngsters, Minister Ralph Goodale Says

    Shopify CEO Calls On Federal Government To Abandon Tax Plan For Stock Options

    The CEO of one of Canada's up-and-coming tech companies is calling on the federal government to abandon its plan to tax stock options, saying the move will hurt innovation and hamper startup firms.

    Shopify CEO Calls On Federal Government To Abandon Tax Plan For Stock Options

    Ontario Bill Would Allow First Responders With PTSD Quicker Treatment

    Ontario Bill Would Allow First Responders With PTSD Quicker Treatment
    The law would create a presumption that PTSD in first responders is work related, removing the need for them to prove a causal link to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

    Ontario Bill Would Allow First Responders With PTSD Quicker Treatment

    Pope Francis Suggests Contraception Can Be Condoned In Zika Crisis

    Pope Francis Suggests Contraception Can Be Condoned In Zika Crisis
    Pope Francis has suggested that women threatened with the Zika virus could use artificial contraception, saying there's a clear moral difference between aborting a fetus and preventing a pregnancy.

    Pope Francis Suggests Contraception Can Be Condoned In Zika Crisis