The Toyota fuel-cell sedan
Toyota is attempting to maintain its place at the top of the clean-fuel car table with the launch of its first hydrogen fuel-cell car by April 2015.
The Japanese car company first showed off its hydrogen-powered car earlier this year at CES 2014 in Las Vegas, but has now confirmed its price and when it goes on sale.
According to CNet, the fuel-cell sedan will have a similar price tag to arguably its biggest competitor, the Tesla S, at US$70,000 in the US and €50,000 in Europe. Consumers can expect the car to be released in those two markets by summer 2015, after its expected release in Japan before April 2015.
The company said it is differing from Tesla in that it foresees the future of clean-energy vehicles coming with fuel-cell technology as opposed to Tesla’s battery power.
The fuel cell involves a much more complicated process, as it combines hydrogen with oxygen to produce the energy to power the car and will emit harmless water vapour from the exhaust. However, before this can be considered a feasible project, a whole hydrogen fuel station infrastructure would need to be constructed to cater to its demand, much in the same way Tesla has expanded charging points across the US and in locations in Europe.
