Fuel Cell
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Toyota announced today that it would make more than 5,600 patents on fuel-cell technologies available for use, free of royalty payments, to a wide array of companies in the transportation sector. Those patents include many granted for innovations that led to the production version of the Japanese maker's first hydrogen vehicle, the 2016 Toyota Mirai. DON'T MISS: Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars To Come From Toyota, Hyundai, Honda Announced this afternoon in Las Vegas at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, Toyota termed its offer as "opening the door to the hydrogen future" and inviting the industry to...
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Green Car Reports Scorecard: 3 Stories We Got Right In 2014, 3 We Didn'tWe published roughly 1,800 stories on Green Car Reports this year, covering everything from fuel economy (it's rising) to electric cars (there are more on sale than ever). Every news site strives for 100-percent accuracy, but very few reach that mark. That's why there are Retractions sections in...
John Voelcker -
Graphene May Double Solar Cell Power, Harvest Hydrogen From AirGraphene could have a major impact on green cars.
Stephen Edelstein -
Lexus To Launch Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Powered LS Sedan: ReportLexus may build a fuel-cell version of its LS sedan.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tax Credit For Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles Expires As Congress AdjournsCongress lets a tax credit for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles expire.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 Toyota Mirai: First Drive Of Hydrogen Fuel-Cell SedanThe 2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car will get a huge amount of promotion and attention from its maker, despite the very low numbers that will be built in its first years. In that respect, it's very similar to the first Toyota Prius hybrid back in 1997--a first sketch of what a future...
John Voelcker -
Toyota's president makes the case for fuel-cell cars.
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Hybrids A Better, More Cost-Effective Way To Cut Carbon Today, Study SaysThe hydrogen fuel-cell cars being promoted as the future of zero-emission transport--aggressively by Toyota, slightly less so by Honda and Hyundai--generate quite a lot of controversy. Now a new analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists suggests that the wells-to-wheels carbon emissions of a...
John Voelcker -
Hyundai Fuel Cell, BMW i3 Electric Motor Win "10 Best Engines" AwardsTwo alternative powertrains are among Ward's 2015 "10 Best Engines."
Stephen Edelstein -
European Project To Boost Energy Efficiency In Airplanes, Test Fuel CellsThe European Union's CleanSky 2 program aims to reduce aircraft emissions.
Stephen Edelstein -
Nissan 'Quite Optimistic' About Electric Cars, Holding Off On HydrogenNissan is sticking with battery-electric cars, an executive says.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 Toyota Mirai Fuel-Cell Car Will Alter Industry As Prius Did, Says ExecToyota hopes its fuel-cell car will have as big an impact as the Prius.
Stephen Edelstein -
The biggest news in zero-emission vehicles at last month's Los Angeles Auto Show was the formal introduction of the 2016 Toyota Mirai. But several other companies made news in the hydrogen fuel-cell market as well. Here's our brief roundup of the hydrogen stories we covered in LA. 2016 Toyota Mirai The maker of the world's highest-volume hybrid, the Toyota Prius, formally introduced the production version of its hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. Like the first-generation Prius, the 2016 Toyota Mirai (the Japanese word for "future") will be a low-volume vehicle in its early years. But Toyota is...
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How Much Money Does The 2016 Toyota Mirai Lose? A Lot, PerhapsAll automakers expect to lose money at first when they launch expensive new powertrain technologies. But if one European official with deep experience in alternative-fuel infrastructure is right, the 2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell sedan may be losing its maker quite a lot of money indeed...
John Voelcker -
Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicle Tax Credit Expires This Month: Will It Be Renewed?Financial and other incentives are widely viewed as a good way to kickstart the adoption of new green vehicles, largely to compensate for their higher prices against conventional gasoline cars. But just as Toyota is building up to next fall's launch of its 2016 Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle in...
John Voelcker -
Why Is Hydrogen Free To Fuel-Cell Car Drivers? Pumps Are The ProblemThe lack of a way to accurately measure hydrogen being pumped is why the fuel is given away free.
Stephen Edelstein -
Volkswagen Passat HyMotion Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicle Prototype: Brief DriveThe 2016 Toyota Mirai may have been the biggest news in hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles at last week's Los Angeles Auto Show, but it wasn't alone. VW Group brought two fuel-cell prototypes to the show's green-car ride and drive program, and we spent 15 minutes driving one. DON'T MISS: Volkswagen Golf...
John Voelcker -
Volkswagen Golf SportWagen HyMotion: Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Concept At LA Auto ShowVery few compact wagons remain on sale in North America, but this year, the car known to U.S. buyers for years as the Jetta SportWagen has a new name: the 2015 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen. To reinforce the new wagon's new model name, VW showed off two concept Golf wagons at last week's Los Angeles...
John Voelcker -
The 2016 Toyota Mirai, seen here in its production form, is the first-ever hydrogen fuel-cell car to be offered for sale by a major automaker. It goes on sale in Japan next month, and will arrive in North America in the second half of next year. The four-seat mid-size sedan is effectively an electric car, with a 153-horsepower motor powering its front wheels. ALSO SEE: 2016 Toyota Mirai Priced At $57,500, With $499 Monthly Lease But instead of storing electricity in a large battery pack, the owner refills the car's reinforced high-pressure storage tanks with hydrogen gas, which the car then...
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Fuel-Cell Fan Bites Back At Electric-Car Advocates, Asks 10 Questions Of His OwnLast week's Los Angeles Auto Show brought more news about hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles than we've seen in a very long time. The 2016 Toyota Mirai was unveiled--we drove it too--and Honda showed its latest design concept for what it's calling the FCV sedan. Other makers too showed off experimental...
John Voelcker -
Honda To Loan First Element $14 Million For Hydrogen Fueling StationsHonda announced today at the Los Angeles Auto Show that it will loan almost $14 million to hydrogen station provider First Element Fuels to help it build an additional 12 fueling stations in California for upcoming hydrogen fuel-cell cars. The $13.8 million loan will be combined with grants from...
John Voelcker -
Audi A7 h-tron quattro 'Performance' Fuel-Cell Plug-In Car Unveiled At 2014 LA Auto ShowAudi says its hydrogen A7 is both sporty and efficient.
Stephen Edelstein -
2016 Toyota Mirai Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car: First Photos From Test DriveThe 2016 Toyota Mirai is getting a major launch just before this week's Los Angeles Auto Show. It's clear Toyota considers this a vehicle every bit as seminal as its very first Prius hybrid of 1997. The Prius comparisons came regularly during a day of presentations yesterday, and then again this...
John Voelcker -
2016 Toyota Mirai Power-Out Jack Could Run Your Home In EmergenciesIt may be hidden behind a fuzzy grey triangular panel in the trunk, but the 2016 Toyota Mirai fuel-cell car offers a novel and innovative feature that could let it power your home for a day or two in the event of an emergency. Toyota executives say they haven't decided whether to offer the...
John Voelcker