Hydrogen-Powered Toyota Highlander Gets 431 Miles On A Tank

Written by Christopher DeMorro
Published on August 7th, 2009

The hydrogen-car camp seems to have been quiet as of late…or maybe I am just looking in the wrong places. But at least one major car manufacturer, Toyota, is still pushing hard to make hydrogen cars a feasible alternative.

Toyota has been hard at work on their Highlander FCV, and the latest version of the hydrogen-powered SUV (called the FCV-adv) achieved an estimated 431 miles on a single tank of compressed hydrogen.

I say “estimated” because the FCV did not actually empty its tank. Rather, Toyota representatives took the SUV from Toerrence, CA to San Diego and back, going 331.5 miles. When they got back, they “estimated” there was enough H2 left to go another 100 miles. The 10,000 psi tanks held 6 kilograms of hydrogen, getting an estimated 68.3 miles per kilogram.

Toyota currently makes a Highlander Hybrid, which gets about 26 miles per gallon (combining city/highway) and runs on premium grade fuel. That vehicle can go about 450 miles on a full 19 gallon tank of high grade, and will cost almost $60 to fill up (assuming gas is around the $3 mark. In comparision, Toyota estimates hydrogen should cost $2-3 per kilogram, as there is no set price yet, meaning you could go almost as far for as little as $12 .

This isn’t the first time the FCV has gone long distances, but the technology seems to be steadily improving. The question is, can Toyota live up to its promise of delivering “a reliable and durable fuel cell vehicle with exceptional fuel economy and zero emissions, at an affordable price.” The target date? 2015. That is only six years away. Are we really that close to a hydrogen future, and if so, why aren’t more companies jumping on the hydrogen bandwagon?

Turn the page for the full press release.

Source: Toyota via AutoBlogGreen

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