As a clean, efficient and sustainable energy source, hydrogen energy has always been regarded as a new energy source with the most potential for development at present and in the future. More than 200 years ago, mankind has been researching hydrogen energy. Major car companies have also started the reserve work of hydrogen fuel cell technology early.
In the field of hydrogen energy vehicles, Toyota is undoubtedly the most influential car company, and the Mirai model under its brand has been launched and has attracted some attention from the market. However, the mainstream power of the new energy market is still electric energy, and the market share and influence of hydrogen energy have not increased significantly.
Although it is not a one-man operation, Toyota is somewhat lonely when it comes to hydrogen vehicles. If you want to further promote the development of hydrogen energy vehicles, it is the only way to expand the circle of friends and enhance your influence.
Join forces with BMW and Hyundai
Toyota finds a hydrogen energy "partner"
On September 2, people familiar with the matter revealed that Toyota Motor Chairman Akio Toyoda plans to visit Seoul at the end of October to meet with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun to discuss the possibility of business cooperation such as hydrogen fuel vehicles, which will be Toyota's first visit to Korea since January 2012. The two companies are expected to announce a business strategy to move from competition to collaboration, plan to collaborate in the field of hydrogen-powered vehicles, and work together to build infrastructure for the production and distribution of clean hydrogen.
In the field of hydrogen energy vehicles, Toyota and Hyundai, as the two largest car companies that occupy the largest share of the global hydrogen-powered vehicle market, have been in a competitive relationship. Toyota Motor has launched the Mirai model in the field of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, while Hyundai Motor Group has launched hydrogen energy models such as the NEXO. As part of this partnership, the two companies are expected to announce a business strategy that will shift from competition to cooperation, with Hyundai Motor Group hoping to learn from Toyota's innovative strategy in the development and production of hybrid vehicles, and Toyota hoping to learn from Hyundai Motor Group's successful transformation experience in the field of electric vehicles.
On September 5, Toyota Motor Corporation and BMW Group also announced that they have signed a basic agreement to jointly develop the third-generation fuel cell system and plan to launch mass-produced fuel cell models in the next few years. This is not the first time Toyota and BMW have joined forces, as the partnership dates back to December 2011 and has been around for more than a decade. Previously, Toyota and BMW have worked together on fuel cell and environmental technologies, as well as high-performance vehicles, with the goal of promoting the development of hydrogen energy.
Through this partnership, Toyota will provide a complete fuel cell system to support BMW's launch of a production version of a hydrogen vehicle in the coming years, and BMW has also announced that it will launch its first mass-produced fuel cell model (FCEV) in 2028.
Behind the three car companies are Japan, Germany, and South Korea. From the perspective of land area, the three are not large, and they are also seriously dependent on energy. Therefore, if a breakthrough in hydrogen energy technology is made, it will be possible to help these countries get out of the energy crisis at the national level. Promoting the development of hydrogen energy vehicles is actually to gradually build a hydrogen energy society and provide commercial viability support.
However, in the field of automotive manufacturing, the progress of hydrogen energy has not been without its challenges. Although many car companies continue to invest resources in the research and development of hydrogen energy power systems, the widespread application and popularization of hydrogen energy vehicles still face challenges, and cost issues and safety concerns are the main factors hindering the further development of hydrogen energy vehicles.
Hydrogen cars are mobile bombs?
Toyota was not happy
One of the main reasons why hydrogen vehicles have been difficult to popularize is that they are too costly. When it comes to the cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, there are some challenges. Critical components such as hydrogen fuel cell systems and high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks are more expensive than their counterparts for electric vehicles. Mercedes-Benz, for example, has assessed that the cost of producing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is about twice that of a pure electric model, which is one of the reasons why they ultimately decided to halt the hydrogen fuel cell passenger car development program.
However, with the advancement of technology and the advancement of large-scale production, the cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is expected to gradually decrease. Forecasts point to that by 2025, the acquisition cost of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be comparable to that of pure electric vehicles, and by 2030, the cost may even be comparable to that of gasoline vehicles. This shows that although hydrogen fuel cell vehicles currently face challenges in terms of cost and safety, in the long run, these obstacles are expected to be overcome, and the popularization and promotion of hydrogen energy vehicles will also usher in broader prospects.
Another challenge for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is safety. Due to the flammability and potential explosion risk of hydrogen, it is necessary to comply with stricter safety standards in all aspects of hydrogen production, storage, transportation and vehicle design. For example, building a hydrogen refueling station is much more difficult and safe than building an electric vehicle charging station. In order for hydrogen energy to be widely promoted, there must be more corresponding technical and infrastructural support.
In addition, many people are also worried that cars will become "mobile bombs" after being loaded with hydrogen fuel over hydrogen tanks, after all, the Kyiv Post just reported last month that Ukraine soldiers used a combination of hydrogen and plastic to explode warheads and destroy targets. However, Toyota is naturally not very happy with such remarks, and Toyota's China Financial Media Service Center "Let's Talk and Laugh" clarified the false reports on the safety of hydrogen energy vehicles, pointing out that these reports are one-sided and exaggerated.
What is the current situation of hydrogen vehicles in the Chinese market?
By the end of 2023, the total number of hydrogen vehicles on the market has reached 13,000, and these vehicles are mainly concentrated in the commercial sector, such as buses, refrigerated transportation, express delivery, mining transportation, and heavy cargo transportation. At the same time, countries such as the United States, Japan and Korea are actively promoting hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles, while China's hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicle market is just beginning its commercialization process.
There are three main reasons behind this phenomenon: first, China's fuel cell technology is still developing, and the current products have not yet fully met the demand for full-power fuel cells for passenger cars in terms of power, response speed and durability; Secondly, the price of hydrogen energy vehicles is still higher than that of traditional fuel vehicles; Finally, the construction of infrastructure such as hydrogen refueling stations is not yet widespread, and many cities lack hydrogen refueling stations, or even if they do, there is a lack of a stable supply of hydrogen.
In contrast, commercial vehicles have a fixed route, so there is less demand for the number of hydrogen refueling stations. Based on these considerations, the current reasonable development strategy of China's hydrogen energy vehicle industry is to give priority to the development of the commercial vehicle market, so as to promote the further maturity of hydrogen fuel cell technology, reduce costs, and improve the infrastructure network such as hydrogen refueling stations, so as to lay a solid foundation for the popularization and development of hydrogen fuel cell passenger vehicles in the future.
At the same time, many local policies are also playing a positive role in promoting the development of hydrogen energy vehicles. For example, Jilin, Shandong, Shaanxi and other places have launched a point-to-point free passage policy between highway toll stations in the province for the installation of ETC equipment. With the strong support of the state for the hydrogen energy industry, the demonstration and promotion of fuel cell vehicles in mainland China is gradually expanding. However, it is expected that by 2025, Continental's fuel cell vehicles will still be in their early stages, and the commercial vehicle market will be ahead of the passenger car market, mainly used in medium and heavy-duty commercial scenarios, while passenger cars will be more used for specific platform operations.
In fact, this idea is correct, hydrogen energy is obviously more "niche" than electric energy, but it has to continue to develop in terms of clean energy and future strategic planning. The application of hydrogen energy in the field of commercial vehicles can not only minimize the impact of the defects of hydrogen energy vehicles, but also maintain its own technological development and be ready for the transition to passenger use at any time.
Uncle Che concluded
Toyota's cooperation strategy in the field of hydrogen energy is intended to gradually expand its market influence, and through the cooperation with BMW and Hyundai, Toyota not only achieves complementary technologies, but also jointly promotes the marketization and commercialization of hydrogen energy vehicles, while also helping to reduce costs and improve technological maturity. Although there are still some challenges to the popularization of hydrogen energy vehicles, such as high costs and insufficient infrastructure, with the advancement of technology and policy support, the market prospects of hydrogen energy vehicles are still promising. China is also actively promoting the development of hydrogen energy vehicles, by providing policy support and subsidies, encouraging local cities to implement preferential policies such as highway toll exemption for hydrogen energy vehicles, so as to promote the promotion and application of hydrogen energy vehicles. With the continuous maturity of hydrogen energy technology and the reduction of costs, it is expected that hydrogen energy vehicles will occupy an important position in the new energy vehicle market in the future.