Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid Goes Twice The Distance

June 6, 2008
Toyota Fuel Cell Hybrid Goes Twice The Distance
Toyota has developed a new fuel cell (zero pollution) hybrid powered by hydrogen and electricity that can travel more than twice the distance of its predecessor model without filling up, The AP reports.

The maximum cruising range of the FCHV-adv model is 516 miles, compared with 205 miles of the its previous fuel cell model, according to the company.

Unlike Toyota’s Prius, the FCHV-adv has an electric motor and works as a hybrid by switching between that motor and the hydrogen-powered fuel cell. It will be available for leasing in Japan later this year and there are not yet plans to make the car available overseas, the company said.

The marketing piece of a new GM strategy touts Chevy’s “Fuel Solutions,” which include hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The brand’s new tagline is “Chevrolet, from gas-friendly to gas-free.” GM also said it plans to offer a green version of virtually every Chevy model.

Part of the Nissan Green Program 2010 includes introducing a fuel cell vehicle into the United States and Japan in the early part of the next decade.

Honda said its hydrogen-powered vehicle will be available for leasing in California within a few months, the Herald Tribune reported.