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Toyota Australia’s is serious about hydrogen as a low- or no-emission source of power for transport.
Toyota Australia’s Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, Sean Hanley, told CarsGuide, once electrification reaches a more steady saturation in the market, we’re going to see hydrogen start to appear more frequently as an alternative to traditional fuel.
He said we’re likely in a similar position to the early days of hybrid technology, where it won’t be widely used for private vehicles or passenger cars for a long time.
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“By 2035 you’ll start to see hydrogen fuel cells. They’ll make their mark,” Hanley said.
“In the meantime, everybody will write what they want to write and speculate about hydrogen, and hydrogen is not going to be here. But can I tell you they said that about hybrids 25 years ago as well.
“So, you know, imagine if I could go back in time and, you know, to the horse and cart days. I bet I was saying that about combustion engines as well," he said.
It’s not all talk, Toyota Australia has a hydrogen combustion engine powered HiAce van currently being used as worksite transport, running on a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine borrowed from the Toyota Tundra and three hydrogen tanks courtesy of the Toyota Mirai FCEV.
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“We are absolutely committed to hydrogen, from an investment perspective, and we have not pulled back.
“In fact, if anything, we're enhancing our investment. And our input, well, the fact that TMC has given us this HiAce to test and learn, and I think tells you a lot.”
Much of the world seems to be more suited to BEVs, but Australia’s long distances and heavy industries are where hydrogen seems to have its most useful applications.
Luckily, as Hanley points out, we also have one of the best countries for producing it.
@carsguide.com.au Is this the future? This Toyota HiAce has a regular engine, but it runs on hydrogen for almost no emissions! #toyota #hiace #hydrogen #car #carsguide #fyp
“Australia is rich in hydrogen. Now you can debate all day how it's made, blue, green, brown, whatever, whatever. You can do that all day. I mean, we'll continue to debate that.
“But what I'm saying is that the hardcore reality is that hydrogen is a credible, available energy form. It's clean, it can tow, we know from the truck business it can do big loads, and it's got range. And it's zero emissions.
“So when you start to think of what Australians want to do in cars, and you start to think of a LandCruiser 70, LandCruiser 300, Prado, HiLux, whatever… a hydrogen fuel cell would be, an incredibly powerful powertrain for those cars in the future.”
In other words, we ask — is hydrogen going to be the new diesel?
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“Maybe. That's not a crazy statement,” Hanley said. “But you can't sell it out because you can't see it right now.
“You can't just say, 'Oh, I heard it didn't work in the US at some organisation with some truck company’, right?
“Because true, it wouldn't work here right now if you tried, because there’s nowhere to fill up again, you gotta invest, you gotta read the future.
“I reckon in 10 more years time, all of that investment and that vision as part of a multi-pathway will come to fruition. That's what I believe," he said.
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