Apr. 19, 2007
TOYOTA FCHV to Serve Centrair and Vicinity as Commercial Transport Vehicle
Tokyo ― TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that the TOYOTA FCHV, Toyota's fuel cell hybrid vehicle, will operate on public roads in and around Central Japan International Airport (Centrair), south of Nagoya. The TOYOTA FCHV will be used by Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. (Yamato Transport) as part of the Japan Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Demonstration Project (JHFC), organized by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
The TOYOTA FCHV being used in the project will be registered as a commercial transport vehicle. It will be loaned to Yamato Transport and used for deliveries between one of its Nagoya-area distribution centers and Centrair. The vehicle will be fueled at the JHFC Centrair Hydrogen Station, which was set up within Centrair as part of the JHFC's Demonstration Study of Hydrogen Fueling Facilities for Fuel Cell Vehicles. Through this project, TMC plans to obtain a wide range of data necessary for the commercialization of fuel cell hybrid vehicles.
TMC plans to hand the Toyota FCHV over to Yamato Transport at a ceremony on April 24 at Yamato Transport's Kanagawa Regional Branch in Yokohama.
| Outline of Yamato Transport TOYOTA FCHV |
| Start of operations | Late April 2007 |
| Operating area | Between Tokoname Shinkai distribution center and collection and distribution sites in Centrair |
| Operator | Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. |
| Number of vehicles | 1 (commercial registration obtained) |
| Primary use | Delivery services |
- The Japan Automobile Research Institute, which is promoting the JHFC under METI, made an appeal in April 2006 for third-party companies and organizations to operate a fleet of fuel cell vehicles. TMC responded and was selected that year.
- Units of the FCHV-BUS (a fuel cell hybrid bus) that TMC developed jointly with Hino Motors, Ltd. have been in operation in and around Centrair since July 2006.
1) Development
In December 2002, Toyota became one of the first companies to commercialize a fuel cell hybrid vehicle, the TOYOTA FCHV, when it began selling the vehicle on a limited basis in Japan and the U.S. The TOYOTA FCHV was partially improved in June 2005 and became the first fuel cell hybrid vehicle in Japan to acquire vehicle type certification. Vehicle leasing began on July 1 of that year.
The fuel cell hybrid vehicle to be used by Yamato Transport has been modified by TMC for freight purposes, and the transport company has acquired a commercial registration. The vehicle's decals have been changed and equipment necessary for transporting freight has been installed.
2) Main Features
The vehicle features an electric-motor hybrid system powered by a battery and fuel cells supplied with high-pressure hydrogen gas. During operation, it does not emit carbon dioxide, said to be a cause of global warming, or any other atmospheric pollutant such as nitrogen oxide; it is both highly energy-efficient and very quiet.
| 3) Main Specifications (Yamato Transport specifications) |
| Vehicle | Name | TOYOTA FCHV |
| Overall length / width / height | 4,735 / 1,815 / 1,685mm | |
| Occupant capacity | 2 people | |
| Maximum load capacity | 150kg | |
| Performance | Maximum speed | 155km/h |
| Fuel cell | Name | Toyota FC Stack |
| Type | Polymer electrolyte | |
| Output | 90kW | |
| Motor | Type | Permanent magnet |
| Maximum output | 90kW (122ps) | |
| Maximum torque | 260N-m (26.5kg-m) | |
| Fuel | Type | Hydrogen |
| Storage system | High-pressure hydrogen storage tanks | |
| Maximum storage pressure | 35MPa | |
| Battery | Type | Nickel-metal hydride |
