Taxi firm’s hydrogen cell experience highlights fuel’s pitfalls – Forbes.
Japan was one of the first countries in the world to formulate a national hydrogen strategy, pledging back in 2017 to innovate production, transport and storage technologies related to the cleaner fuel, which produces only water when burned. Almost seven years on, things aren’t turning out entirely as politicians may have hoped.
MK West Group, a taxi operator in Kobe, a city on Osaka Bay in central Japan more famed for its heavily marbled beef than its passenger cars, is a case in point.
The company, an upmarket operator that runs a fleet of luxury vehicles and prides itself on smartly dressed drivers who see themselves more as chauffeurs, also has a suite of greener cars including hybrid versions of Toyota Motor Corp.’s Crown, Camry, Alphard and Lexus models.
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About two months ago, it added two Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to the mix. According to Group President Yoshiaki Aoki, that experience has been somewhat underwhelming.
It’s not that there’s anything wrong specifically with the cars, good looking mid-sized sedans with Lexus-level luxury. Rather it’s the high cost of hydrogen, which Aoki says should be subsidized more aggressively if the government is serious about using the fuel as a green-energy option.
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Taxi Firm’s Hydrogen Cell Experience Highlights Fuel’s Pitfalls, July 24, 2023
