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At a car factory in this city named after Toyota, the usual robots with their swinging arms are missing. Instead, workers intently fit parts into place by hand with craftsmanship-like care.
The big moment on the assembly line comes when two bulbous yellow tanks of hydrogen are rolled over and delicately fitted into each car's underside.
While much of the world is going gung-ho for electric vehicles to help get rid of auto emissions and end reliance on fossil fuels, Japan's top automaker Toyota Motor Corp. is banking on hydrogen.
Toyota sells about 10 million vehicles a year around the world. It has sold only about 4,000 Mirai fuel cell vehicles since late 2014, roughly half of them outside Japan.
Is Toyota going to build the network of hydrogen-refueling stations to serve its hydrogen-powered cars?
(Score: 4, Informative) by WalksOnDirt on Friday November 17 2017, @04:14PM (6 children)
The main motivation looks to be government subsidies. Japan is pushing hydrogen, California gives out more credits for hydrogen than electric cars, and Germany also offers some support. When that's gone I expect the hydrogen cars to go, too.
(Score: 3, Funny) by DannyB on Friday November 17 2017, @04:46PM
Maybe the government needs to read the first post right before yours.
During flu season be sure to take plenty of Vitamin C++
The lower I set my standards the more accomplishments I have.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2017, @05:30PM (1 child)
Classic Lefty-government-does-business "success story." It may be terribly inefficient, horrendously impractical, but it is our duty to do the just thing, and use other people's money to try to make it work!
(Score: 4, Interesting) by realDonaldTrump on Friday November 17 2017, @06:49PM
In California they have Crazy Jerry. Who isn't as crazy as he looks. He makes a big show of how Green he is. He's not Green, he's Brown. He files to Paris, flies to Bonn, flies to the Vatican and says "Oh no, the Trump factor! Oh no, the climate is changing!" While in California they had a big, big leak. They had a TREMENDOUS gas leak at Aliso Canyon by Los Angeles. The biggest. Folks, the company that leaked it was Sempra Energy. Which is one of their gas companies. And Crazy Jerry's sister is on the board of Sempra. His sister Kathleen. So he lets them do what they want. When their family is on your board of directors, they let you do what you want.
I'll tell you, a lot of our hydrogen comes from gas. It's a great thing for our gas companies. Of which Sempra is one of the biggest in California. So hydrogen is a great thing for them. It looks very Green because there's no exhaust. It's not Green. But it's great for our fossil fuel industry. So it's great for Kathleen Brown. #MAGA 🇺🇸
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Friday November 17 2017, @06:52PM
Maybe. OTOH, it's good to have a backup plan. It appears that various material shortages may limit the total number of energy dense batteries that we can build. That said, I don't trust a backup plan that relies on a platinum catalyst. But maybe they're working on that.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Friday November 17 2017, @07:05PM (1 child)
I can think of a simple reason why Japan's government would be pushing Hydrogen. They can produce it locally from seawater and not have to import petroleum for auto fuel.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday November 18 2017, @10:44AM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves