13 Japanese companies eye smooth domestic launch of FCVs

As already posted, Japan is pushing the adoption of FCVs (Fuel Cell Vehicles) by 2015 (earlier post). In order to achieve this target, more hydrogen filling stations and more cooperation between manufacturers will be needed.

Thus, 13 companies in Japan - Toyota, Nissan, and Honda along with a number of gas and utilities companies - are joining forces to enable a "smooth domestic launch" of fuel cell vehicles as soon as 2015. They hope to create about 100 hydrogen stations across the country, work to form a broader hydrogen supply network, and also educate people about FCVs in general.

The companies are the following:

Toyota Motor Corporation

Nissan Motor Company, Ltd.

Honda Motor Company, Ltd.

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation

Idemitsu Kosan Company, Ltd.

Iwatani Corporation

Osaka Gas Company, Ltd.

Cosmo Oil Company, Ltd.

Saibu Gas Company, Ltd.

Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K.

Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation

Tokyo Gas Company, Ltd.

Toho Gas Company, Ltd.

Japan pushing adoption of fuel cell vehicles by 2015

Japanese automakers may be investing a lot in EVs, but this doesn't mean that they have given up on fuel cell tech. According to a report published by The Nikkei, the Japanese government will launch a public-private initiative aimed at applying hydrogen used in oil refining to power fuel cell vehicles.

It states that with Japan moving towards the adoption of fuel cell vehicles by 2015, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry wants to secure a steady supply of high purity hydrogen - the hydrogen used in fuel cells is 99.99% pure, while the hydrogen that is used by oil distributors is about 90% pure.

Now technology will be developed to extract the high purity hydrogen with the aim of creating a new source of income. The undertaking will cost around 500,000,000 ¥ over a three-year period from fiscal 2011 onwards with the ministry to pay around half these costs.

[Source: Nikkei via TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk]