Hydrogen Fuel Cell

In a series of newly released videos and photos, Toyota is taking people behind the scenes at its Motomachi factory campus to show off the 13 people responsible for putting together the Mirai fuel cell vehicle.

Toyota, Nissan and Honda will collaborate to accelerate growth of hydrogen infrastructure to help push fuel-cell vehicles.

Toyota Senior VP Bob Carter responds to recent comments by Tesla CEO Elon Musk that hydrogen fuel cells are "an extremely silly way to store energy" and that FCEV shortcomings will become plainly evident in the next few years.

Symbio FCell has delivered the first five (of a planned 40) hydrogen range-extender electric vehicles in France. The modified Kangoo ZE EVs now have twice the range.

After passing "a rigorous state performance evaluation," the hydrogen refueling station and research center at Cal State University Los Angeles has become the first station in Southern California allowed to sell hydrogen by the kilogram. Every other station that charges can only charge a fixed amount per tank, regardless of the amount dispensed.

Australian car site Motoring reports that the Lexus LS will get a variant with a hydrogen fuel-cell powerplant that will be released by 2017. It would take the top spot in the range, rolling in above the LS Hybrid.

Forget Dueling Banjos. Audi is proposing "Dueling Motors" for its Audi A7 Sportback H-Tron Quattro concept vehicle. All in the name of appropriate pickup, of course.

Is the water vapor coming out of Toyota's first production fuel-cell vehicle drinkable? If you're driving through the Sierra Nevadas? Probably. Cruising through Beijing? Not so much.

The bad news, as we've previously reported, is that Honda's first production hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle won't debut until 2016, a bit later than expected. The good news is that the automaker may produce a device that will let that FCV's motor power up other devices as well. So it's a tradeoff of sorts.

Translogic takes a ride in the 2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, and follows that with a spin in the Volkswagen Passat HyMotion test vehicle and Audi A7 Sportback h-tron quattro concept at the 2014 LA Auto Show.

Is there some rule that all cutting-edge, ultra-efficient or emissions-free vehicles need to look, uh, weird? No? Then would anyone care to explain the Toyota Mirai, a vehicle that for all it's hugely, wildly promising technology, will forever be pigeonholed based on its odd styling?

The Toyota Mirai is coming to California next year and it will arrive bearing a $57,500 MSRP. Toyota says that with state and federal incentives worth a total of $13,000, interested customers will be able to buy a Mirai for under $45,000. If you're more into leasing, then you can get the Mirai for $499 a month for 36 months (with $3,649 due at signing). Both options come with free hydrogen fuel for "up to three years."

Instead of hosting the world debut of the production version of its hydrogen fuel cell sedan at the LA Auto Show this coming week, Honda decided to debut the vehicle in Japan today. And, it's not the production version that was shown off, it was an evolved concept. And, instead of coming in 2015, as previously stated, the car is now scheduled to drop in March 2016 in Japan, followed by releases in Europe and the US.

California isn't Nevada, but Golden State residents are nonetheless being given a chance to make a small bet on what may be a large prize, courtesy of Toyota. The Japanese automaker will start selling its first hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles on the West Coast late next year, and before that, Toyota would like to pick up some positive publicity by giving America's first one away to one lucky Californian.

Hyundai may be based in South Korea, but the automaker is touting hydrogen fuel-cell technology as an all-American benefit and is getting some help from the US government to do so. The company said this week that it's collaborating with the US Department of Energy and the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus at promoting fuel-cell technology. The timing is good because Hyundai just started selling the first mass-produced fuel-cell vehicle sold/leased in the US (unless you count the Honda FCX Clar

Toyota's confidence in H2 technology remains as strong as ever. The company has released a new commercial that says it's not a matter of if we all start driving hydrogen cars, but when. In fact, the 70-second spot calls 2015 the turning point for the alternative powertrain technology.

Four months have passed since Toyota ended its relationship with Tesla Motors, in which the electric-vehicle specialist supplied full lithium-ion battery packs to the Japanese behemoth for its RAV4 EV rollout, of which 2,500 vehicles will be completed. Now, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk has been heard suggesting that a future collaboration is likely within the next two to three years, and that it will probably be much larger than the last one.

You've probably seen your fair share of Ice Bucket Challenge videos online this week, which are meant to raise money to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called "Lou Gehrig's Disease." Hopefully, you've seen ours. We've watched a lot of these videos, but haven't seen one that makes an alt-fuel point quite like a new video from Toyota.

Anyone who's been paying attention already knows that Bob Carter, Toyota Motor Sales' senior vice president of automotive operations, is confident of the hydrogen future. Very confident, even eight years ago. So his speech today at the 2014 J.P. Morgan Auto Conference was not surprising for its bullish content but for the mention of a few vague specifics. Most important, Toyota is going to make an announcement about hydrogen cars on the east coast of the US before too long.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. A free hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, though? It may become a possibility in Japan, says Automotive News.