JAPAN REPORT
Toyota Motor Corporation and Chiyoda Corporation have announced the joint development of a hydrogen production system. The two companies plan to begin demonstration tests at Toyota’s main plant in fiscal 2025 and hope to begin marketing the system around fiscal 2027.
The system will produce hydrogen by electrolyzing water. It will have an output of about 5 megawatts and will be able to produce about 100 kilograms of hydrogen per hour. The new plant has a footprint of 6 meters wide by 2.5 meters deep, about half the size of a typical plant. By linking multiple plants, the production volume can be significantly increased.
The operation plans to reduce costs by using FC system components from Toyota’s MIRAI FCV. In the demonstration, the hydrogen produced will be used on equipment at the Toyota plant.
Source: The Nikkei
PSR Analysis: If water could be electrolyzed to produce hydrogen, which could then be used to power mobile units, water could be used like gasoline. There is also the possibility of replacing oil, which is heavily dependent on the Middle East. Such a dream cannot be realized immediately of course, but the joint project between Toyota, which has a proven track record in FCV development, and Chiyoda Corporation, which has a track record in hydrogen energy plants, is worthy of attention.
While the system discussed in this announcement is not large enough to be installed in a mobile vehicle, and will be used at Toyota’s plant, there is still potential for the technology to be used in future vehicles.
The value of new fuels such as hydrogen is being reassessed. For years, Toyota’s chairman has stated that the enemy is not the engine, but CO2, and the company has continued to invest in all directions: engines, batteries, PHEVs, and FCVs. Of course, there are many negative opinions about hydrogen, but I think that we are not yet at the stage where we can determine whether hydrogen can be used or not. The budget for such a project is limited, and in this sense, it makes sense for Toyota, Japan’s largest company, to do this. PSR
Akihiro Komuro is Research Analyst, Far East and Southeast Asia, for Power Systems Research
