Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV)

Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV)




Toyota believes that hydrogen holds great potential as a clean, renewable fuel. We've set ourselves a goal of bringing a Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV) to market by 2015. In fact, we've been working on the 'hydrogen challenge' for more than a decade. We built the world's first FCHV in 2002, and have continued to develop and improve the technology over the ensuing years.

Our latest innovation, the FCHV-adv (advanced), is based on the popular Toyota Highlander Platform and utilizes the same hybrid technology as Toyota Prius—with two big differences. The first: instead of a gasoline engine, there's a high-performance fuel cell stack fed by four hydrogen tanks. Hydrogen is fed into the stack where it combines with oxygen. That chemical reaction produces electricity that is used to power the electric motor and charge the battery. The second difference: the only by-product of the operation is water vapor, making the FCHV totally smog and CO2-free.

In real-world tests conducted in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy, Savannah River National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the FCHV traveled 718 kilometres on a single fill of compressed hydrogen. Toyota's internal tests have pushed that range to 830 kilometres and demonstrated that the system will operate seamlessly in temperatures as low as -30° Celsius.




FCHV Fuel Tank
The hydrogen gas is fed into the fuel cell stack where it is combined with oxygen. The electricity produced by this chemical reaction is used to power the electric motor and charge the battery.



FCHV Motor
An AC synchronous motor developed by Toyota is used in the Toyota FCHV-adv. This motor functions as a generator under deceleration to regenerate energy. Max. power output: 90 kW (122 PS). Max. torque: 260 N-m (26.5 kg-m)




FCHV Secondary Battery
The Toyota FCHV-adv is equipped with a nickel-metal hydride battery with a maximum power output of 21 kW. Regenerated energy under deceleration is stored in this secondary battery and supplements power from the fuel cell by providing auxiliary power under acceleration.



Power Control Unit
The power control unit in the Toyota FCHV-adv decides when to use the battery and when to use the fuel cell stack to power the vehicle. It consists of an inverter that converts DC into AC to power the motor and a DC/DC converter that draws current from and recharges the secondary battery, among other systems.



High Pressure Hydrogen Tank
The Toyota FCHV-adv uses a 70 MPa high-pressure hydrogen tank developed by Toyota. Increased tank capacity and reduced weight have been achieved by using optimum materials, improving design and production methods, and minimizing wall thickness by optimizing the winding angle, tension and volume of the carbon fiber. This has contributed to significant improvement in cruising range.