When Toyota launched the Prius in 1997 , more than twenty years ago, it marked a turning point in the automotive industry. It was the first series-production hybrid vehicle, which arrived in Europe in 2000, and made the Japanese brand the benchmark for eco-friendly mobility . Its design did not get any recognition but it was a work of engineering and aerodynamics , a vital concept for greater efficiency and minimum consumption for that time. In 2003 the second generation arrived and, by that time, hybrids were no longer unknown vehicles for the general public. Toyota’s innovation capacity was on the table, maintaining its reliability standards , and its success makes one suspect that its current bet may also become the norm. A path marked by the use of a key element: hydrogen.
The Japanese firm has been working for more than two decades to make hydrogen a main source of energy, using it as a tool against climate change and the planetary emergency that concerns us all. Toyota’s vision places this element on the periodic table at the center of tomorrow’s society. A zero-emission society in which hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrids, (PHEV) battery electric (BEV) and hydrogen fuel cell electric hybrids (FCHV) will coexist . Many of us will think of conventional cars but the firm goes further, establishing a plan for all types of transport but also consumption. That is, from boats and trucks to the air conditioning of a home, passing through private, shared vehicles or mobility services.
We have talked at length about hydrogen, a clean and infinite medium in our atmosphere. Toyota has started all kinds of projects and tests on vehicles as diverse as a yacht, an industrial truck or a train. The first of these is the Hynova 40 , created by Hynova Yacht in collaboration with Toyota, which includes a fuel cell system to increase its range and expand the navigation capacity of this type of boat. Trains are a type of mass transport, with a significant presence throughout the world and vital for the transport of goods. For this reason, Toyota, along with others involved, is in the midst of developing a railway capable of being powered by hydrogen .
