Although your next vehicle might not be powered by hydrogen fuel cells, the chances are looking far greater that your next vehicle will have been made with power from them. 

Toyota has announced that it’s using hydrogen fuel-cell stacks developed for its Mirai within a stationary generator system.

The fuel-cell generator is undergoing testing now and soon will be used inside Toyota’s Honsha (headquarters) plant—where the company’s highly respected Toyota Production System for manufacturing was born more than a half-century ago. Honsha is also the plant that assembles battery packs for some Toyota hybrids, and hybrid transaxles for the Prius family and other models. 

Toyota industrial generator, powered by Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell stack

Toyota industrial generator, powered by Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell stack

Toyota industrial generator, powered by Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell stack

Toyota industrial generator, powered by Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell stack

Toyota industrial generator, powered by Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell stack

Toyota industrial generator, powered by Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell stack

It may also serve some good use toward the development of the next-generation stack. Toyota says that its energy efficiency, the stability of its generated output, and the durability and maintenance of the system as a constant-duty generator will be “verified and evaluated” on site. 

The automaker notes that this project is one of many applying toward its Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, which aims toward zero-CO2-emissions production plants. According to Toyota’s 2018 data on its manufacturing sites, the Honsha plant has a total annual CO2 emissions of 62,500 tons—not extraordinarily high or low next to the company’s other plants. 

Next-generation Toyota fuel-cell stack, in BMW i Hydrogen Next development vehicle (fuel-cell X5)

Next-generation Toyota fuel-cell stack, in BMW i Hydrogen Next development vehicle (fuel-cell X5)

Toyota is forging ahead with development on its next-generation fuel-cell stack, BMW earlier this month announced its work on next-generation hydrogen vehicles powered by Toyota’s fuel-cell stack, and Toyota is likely to soon preview the direction of its successor to the Mirai, which could be smaller and more affordable.

The company has also found success with fuel-cell forklifts, and in a joint project with the truckmaker PACCAR, in fitting fuel-cell stacks to heavy-duty semi tractors that loop routes—drayage trucks at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, for instance. So even if the tech isn’t headed into personal vehicles for some time on a large scale, it may have been scaled up to build the electric car you buy.