Toyota's Fuel Cell Vehicle

Since January, Toyota has put fuel cell vehicles on the fast track, ending its electric-car partnership with Tesla and promising to deliver the first FCVs to consumers as early as next year. no later than April 2015  in Japan will the car go on sale. In the summer of 2015 it will arrive in the United States and Europe. Sales will be limited to areas with established hydrogen infrastructure. Pricing for Japan starts at ¥7,000,000 (around $69,000), which is ¥3,000,000 below previous estimates. Pricing for the U.S. and Europe hasn't yet been announced. Coming out with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles won't be a piece of cake. fist of all there is the he hydrogen infrastructure -- or shortage of it. To provide the ease and convenience of gas-powered cars, Toyota and other FCV enthusiasts would need to create some 175,000 fueling stations in the U.S. alone, at a cost of $1 million each. Holy cow!!! That is a lot of  money to get these cars accepted and in the mainstream. Without the infrastructure to support FCVs, consumers will likely suffer from range anxiety. Processing hydrogen is neither easy or cheap -- especially when it's needed in huge quantities.  The price will be reduced, but only little by little as more of the processing facilities become more accessible.  Cars are very obvious, very expensive social markers. No matter how green or eco-friendly the driver, few people are willing to spend big bucks on an unattractive car. Many of us have believe in fuel cell vehicles. We can grasp that the technology isn't "there" yet, but it's progressing. Will it win the race against battery electric vehicles, which are also making great strides?