This Toyota FCV Plus uses hydrogen to create electricity… for the car and for you

Did you know Toyota already has in production a car that creates its own electricity from hydrogen?  Now Toyota is showing what this new technology can do into the future, with the Toyota FCV Plus concept car.

Alternative fuel source – hydrogen makes electricity

Yes, the Toyota Mirai is an all-electric production car which has its own on-board power station.  Instead of generating power from an engine, it uses a hydrogen fuel tank.  You can actually already buy this car in some countries, as an FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle).

Toyota FCV Plus – energy source for general use

With Toyota Mirai having entered the market as an FCV, a concept car named Toyota FCV Plus was created to explore how the use of a hydrogen fuel cell can also be used as an energy source for general use.  In other words, while an FCV makes its own motive power, it can also generate electricity for use at home or work, or further afield.

Sounds far-fetched and unrealistic?  Think of how you already use your car’s cigarette lighter socket or 12V power socket to charge up your cell phone… if the car can use its hydrogen to make its own electricity, then we will likely make use of it.

The aim of this versatility is to show Toyota’s vision where hydrogen energy can be used in a sustainable society.

Hydrogen production and storage

Unlike petrol or diesel, hydrogen can be produced from a wide range of raw materials. 

Hydrogen used to be a problem to store inside a car, but somehow Toyota has managed to make it easy to store.  Early hydrogen-powered cars like the test BMW 7 Series of a few years ago required a big tank to drive the car, so Toyota’s solution with the Mirai and FCV is to simply have a smaller tank to simply generate electricity to drive the car.