Toyota unveils its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle

Toyota has finally revealed its highly anticipated fuel cell vehicle

Japanese automaker has revealed the production version of its fuel cell vehicle. Toyota’s fuel cell vehicle has existed as a concept for some time, largely due to the automaker’s initial concerns regarding hydrogen fuel cells. While the company had been interested in fuel cells and their use in transportation in the past, it also had concerns regarding the expensive nature of these energy systems and the lack of a fuel infrastructure capable of supporting these vehicles.

Exterior designed with modern conventions in mind

The exterior of Toyota’s new vehicle has been designed to adhere to modern conventions within the auto industry. The design retains some of the flare from the vehicle’s concept stages, but is now less striking, making it potentially more visually appealing to consumers. The technical features of the vehicle have not yet been released, but Toyota has claimed that the vehicle has an operational range of more than 430 miles before needing to be refueled. This is higher than the vehicles operational range during its concept stage.

Toyota opts to design its own fuel cells in order to ensure they are up to the automaker’s transportation standards

The vehicle makes use of fuel cell developed by Toyota. The company has opted to design its own fuel cells to ensure that these energy systems are ideal for transportation situations. The fuel cells powering the vehicle are capable of producing 100 kW of energy and boast of twice as much energy density as their concept counterparts.

New fuel cell vehicle to be released in Japan in early 2015, with a price tag of $70,000

Toyota has also announced plans to launch its new fuel cell vehicle in Japan next year, before April. The vehicle is expected to be priced at less than $70,000. Toyota intends to launch the vehicle in the U.S. and certain European markets in the summer of 2015. The automaker does have concerns regarding the lack of a comprehensive fuel infrastructure in its favored markets, but sees promise in consumer interest regarding clean transportation and hydrogen fuel in general.