Toyota has chosen Australia as the primary nation on the planet for a pilot program of its lately revealed HiAce Hydrogen prototype.
The pilot program will see seven examples of the Toyota Hydrogen HiAce prototype made out there to fleet operators in Australia from later this month.
Every mortgage shall be for a interval of as much as a month, with the fleet operator required to report each day on their expertise.
Toyota has confirmed the primary firm to make use of the Hydrogen HiAce prototype shall be CPB Contractors, which is one among Australia’s main designers and builders of large-scale infrastructure.
CPB Contractors shall be utilizing the Hydrogen HiAce prototype to move employees from numerous factors for a challenge in Melbourne.
The Japanese carmaker has additionally confirmed it’s “presently talking to numerous different prospects”.
“Australia is the proper place to run such a program with our Federal and State Governments having already dedicated $6.3 billion in funding for hydrogen initiatives underneath the Nationwide Hydrogen Technique,” stated Toyota Australia president and CEO Matthew Callachor.
“We even have an in depth number of environments and weather conditions that may allow us to guage the hydrogen powertrain expertise to its fullest and guarantee it delivers on Toyota’s excessive requirements”.
Toyota Australia senior supervisor of car analysis and laws, Ray Munday, added Australia is the “central level” for the event of the Hydrogen HiAce prototype.
“For industrial automobiles Australia’s seen as a very best place to develop these automobiles to then be appropriate for the remainder of the world,” stated Mr Mundary.
“We’ve examined this automobile within the centre of Australia, we’ve examined it in different areas as nicely. It has a really versatile utilization.
“As a result of we’re utilizing the present inside combustion expertise there’s much less blind spots of recent expertise.
“Once more, every part’s acquired its pluses and minuses, however [hydrogen combustion technology] has the benefit of the excessive load and a really large environmental circumstances.”
The Toyota Hydrogen HiAce prototype is powered by a 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 engine modified to run on compressed hydrogen gasoline as an alternative of petrol.
This engine is presently used with petrol within the Lexus LX 600 in Australia, in addition to the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Sequence in different markets.
The hydrogen-fuelled V6 engine within the HiAce prototype produces 120kW of energy and 354Nm of torque. That is 185kW and 296Nm lower than its petrol-fuelled counterpart.
Drive is shipped to the rear wheels solely by way of a 10-speed automated transmission.
The inner combustion engine is fed by three hydrogen gas tanks just like those used within the present Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell electrical automobile (FCEV). The Mirai has a hydrogen capability of 5.6kg.
Toyota claims the Hydrogen HiAce prototype has a spread of round 200km. For context, the Mirai has a NEDC claimed vary of 650km.
This theoretically means the Hydrogen HiAce prototype consumes 3 times the quantity of hydrogen the Mirai does when driving.
Few different technical particulars are identified in regards to the Hydrogen HiAce prototype at this stage, although it does have a 1500kg towing capability and “minimal impression” on payload and inside house.
Toyota claims it’s already engaged on growing the dimensions of the hydrogen storage tanks and enhancing combustion, in addition to exploring the potential for including hybrid expertise.
