Click here to learn more about Toyota's innovative thinking. Fuel cells are the same type of energy source that power rockets while in orbit. Toyota has developed a fuel cell that uses methanol to produce electricity through an electro-chemical reaction. Vehicles that are powered by methanol fuel cells are considered electric vehicles because they do not have any type of internal combustion engine on board.
Electricity generated by the fuel cell is used to power an electric motor that drives the vehicle.
Toyota is interested in methanol-fueled systems due to the ease of refueling and the availability of the fuel. Methanol is a liquid fuel and can be stored in existing underground gas station tanks and dispensed with only minimal equipment changes. That also means that refilling the vehicle can be done as quickly as with a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle. To begin the chemical process of generating electricity in the fuel cell, the methanol fuel is mixed with water and passed through a fuel reformer. This reformer is comprised of a vaporizer, a reformer and a CO-selective oxidizer.