Toyota to Beef Up Fuel Cell Production

May 24, 2018

Nagoya- Toyota Motor Corp. <7203> said Thursday that it will beef up its annual production capacity for fuel cell stacks to at least 30,000 units from the current 3,000 units.

The automaker will enhance its supply capacity for the stacks, a core component for the zero-emission vehicles, as it hopes to boost fuel cell vehicle sales, a company official said.

Toyota plans to build a new facility to make fuel cell stacks within the compound of its Honsha plant in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, central Japan.

In addition, a new production line for high-pressure hydrogen tanks will be added to another Toyota plant in the neighboring Aichi city of Miyoshi.

Fuel cells produce electricity through a chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, and high-pressure hydrogen tanks store hydrogen as fuel.

Toyota did not disclose the total investment costs.

The automaker released its first fuel cell vehicle, the Mirai, in December 2014 in Japan and in autumn 2015 in the United States and Europe.

Annual production of the vehicle has risen to 3,000 units from 700 units in 2015.

Toyota aims to increase its global annual sales of fuel cell vehicles to 30,000 units or more around 2020. Jiji Press