June 30, 2014—Toyota’s first commercial zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle made its North American debut June 27 at the 2014 Aspen Ideas Festival.
The exterior design of the pre-production prototype was first shown in Japan on June 25. Interior features will be released later, along with the vehicle’s name, volume and other specs. The vehicle will go on sale in Japan before April next year, while those in Europe and California can expect to see the car sold in domestic markets during the summer of 2015.
In Japan, the sedan will cost 7 million yen, or over $68,000. Pricing hasn’t been released for other markets yet.
"This is a zero-emission electric-drive, mid-size four-door sedan," said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. "It produces sufficient electrical power to spin the electric motor for about 300 miles on a single fill-up, which takes three to five minutes. This is going to be a very special vehicle. And we believe we can bring it in at a very reasonable price for a lot of people."
To prepare for the car’s sales in California, Toyota announced in May it had forged a financial relationship with First Element Fuels, which would help support the operation and maintenance of almost 20 new hydrogen refueling stations around the state.
"The success of fuel cell technology will depend less on the genius of the car, than on the ownership experience," said Carter. "Stay tuned, because this infrastructure thing is going to happen."
