Toyota at this time introduced that it’s turning its R&D workplace in Los Angeles into its new North American hydrogen headquarters.
Toyota’s North American hydrogen headquarters
Toyota says its “H2HQ” will drive its North American-led hydrogen initiatives and assist localize international hydrogen-related applied sciences and merchandise. That can embrace each light-duty and heavy-duty gasoline cell purposes, stationary gasoline cell energy era, and port automobile purposes.
President and CEO of Toyota Motor North America, Ted Ogawa, mentioned, “Renaming this facility as North American hydrogen headquarters represents our management in gasoline cell growth, creating real-world merchandise to assist cut back carbon emissions.”
The LA R&D heart performed a big half in launching the light-duty gasoline cell automobile Mirai in 2015. It hosts Toyota’s largest dynamometer (1.2 MW), has a scalable check bench for stationary purposes, and it additionally already has a hydrogen fueling station for light- and heavy-duty automobiles.
Toyota is constructing a microgrid at H2HQ that may permit it to function off-grid. The microgrid consists of 230 kW of photo voltaic, a 1 MW stationary proton alternate membrane gasoline cell generator, 325 kW stable oxide gasoline cell, and a 500 kWh battery storage system. The system is anticipated to return on-line by 2026.
Electrek’s Take
I get Toyota eager to do R&D on heavy-duty gasoline cell purposes, stationery gasoline cell energy era, and port automobile purposes. Microgrid R&D can also be intriguing.
However hydrogen light-duty automobiles, nope. It simply doesn’t appear to be use of their time, cash, and assets.
To refill a hydrogen light-duty automotive, you go to hydrogen stations, which, to this point, get 95% of their hydrogen from polluting methane.
If gasoline cell automobiles had been fueled by inexperienced hydrogen, they might be cleaner. However not like charging EVs on house photo voltaic, you possibly can’t arrange a hydrogen electrolysis machine in your storage.
Plus, hydrogen stations are uncommon – California is the one US state with a community of retail hydrogen stations. So you possibly can neglect highway journeys.
Nonetheless, I’m curious to see what else comes out of H2HQ, and I’ll keep watch over its initiatives.
Learn extra: Toyota to take a position $1.3B to construct EVs at its Kentucky plant
Resulting from shifts in photo voltaic coverage, renters and householders in sure states now have entry to subscribe to a local people photo voltaic farm. Group photo voltaic sometimes saves you 5-15% relying on the place you reside, it’s fast and straightforward to enroll (no upfront prices), and there’s no want for any set up of panels in your property. Get monetary savings and assist the atmosphere by using the EnergySage Group Photo voltaic Market to discover all of the photo voltaic farms obtainable to you. They even have devoted Vitality Advisors to reply any questions you may have about group photo voltaic and provide help to enroll!
Subscribe and save right here. –affiliate hyperlink
FTC: We use revenue incomes auto affiliate hyperlinks. Extra.