Despite last week's news regarding the bankruptcy of Nikola Motors, once one of the biggest players in the hydrogen fuel cell (FCEV) commercial trucking market, Toyota has revealed its third-generation FCEV system for passenger and commercial vehicles - a clear sign the Japanese automaker remains committed to the technology.
[Related: Nikola Motors, once a Wall Street darling, files for bankruptcy]
First shown in-person last week at the International Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Expo in Tokyo, Japan, this all-new system was designed from the get-go to meet the specific needs of the commercial trucking sector by having the same durability as modern diesel-powered engines. According to Toyota, the new FCEV system boasts major improvements in fuel efficiency and cost reductions compared to the outgoing version thanks to cell design and manufacturing process upgrades.
Other improvements include up to two times the durability of the previous generation thanks to a maintenance-free design and a 20% boost in cruising range. The automaker further emphasizes that because the new system is more compact than before, it's able to "be more easily integrated into various commercial vehicles."
[Related: Toyota reveals hydrogen fuel cell electric pickup prototype]
Toyota says its commercial trucking FCEV system is due to hit the Japanese, European, North America, and Chinese markets sometime next year, at the earliest.
