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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: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2017, @06:58PM (1 child)
> Filling stations could become a thing of the past.
I think just the opposite -- given the relatively long time to charge batteries, I think e-filling stations will look like old time drive-in movies. Huge areas to park many cars, with many charging points (instead of the posts that held little speakers to listen to the soundtrack). Instead of a movie screen, the entertainment will be free wi-fi, byo device.
Since land is expensive in cities, these will be in the suburbs (or integrated into city parking garages).
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Friday November 17 2017, @08:28PM
The main use for recharging stations is going to be for long trips - with most charging being done at home overnight (if street charging for driveway-less areas happens) - so they'll mainly be at "destinations" and rest stops (or motorway services in the UK - which typically have a couple of recharging bays already - outside the shop/restaurant area, not the filling station).
My point was that these will be parking lots, not existing filling stations.