Newsgroup: it.discussioni.auto
Titolo: Toyota GM fuel-cell

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20050512wo13.htm
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Toyota Motor Corp. and General Motors Corp. may establish a joint venture to 
conduct research and development on fuel-cell vehicles, sources said 
Wednesday.
The move comes in light of an agreement signed in 1999 by the two automobile 
giants to develop next-generation environmentally friendly cars.
As a way to strengthen their ties, the two firms also are considering 
exchanging information and sharing technology related to hydrogen tanks that 
store the gas that powers fuel cells.
Toyota President Fujio Cho and GM Chairman Richard Wagoner are expected to 
hold a meeting Saturday in Japan, and may exchange views on the issue at the 
meeting, sources said.
Fuel-cell vehicles are powered by the energy from chemical reactions of 
hydrogen and oxygen. Since the only exhaust is water, fuel-cell cars are 
considered the ultimate form of environmentally friendly vehicles. As it 
currently costs several hundred million yen to produce one fuel-cell 
vehicle, fuel-cell vehicles will probably not become available on the market 
until 2010.
The two firms intend to further exchange information on fuel-cell vehicle 
technology to promote the use of such vehicles in the future.
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http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20050512wo13.htm
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http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20050512wo12.htm
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Car manufacturer's are racing to develop what have been billed the ultimate 
environmentally friendly vehicles--cars powered by fuel cells.
Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. have both created fuel-cell vehicles 
and Nissan Motor Co. plans to enter the race with its own eco-vehicle at the 
end of the year.
Fuel-cell cars are powered not by an engine, but by a motor running off 
electricity produced by a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen.
Releasing no carbon dioxide, the technology is seen as the key to developing 
the ultimate eco-friendly car, and fuel cell-powered cars are expected to 
replace gasoline-powered and hybrid vehicles.
Fuel-cell cars were once considered nothing more than an scientific 
experiment that lent green credentials to the marketing strategies of 
manufacturers, but they are now a reality on the way to market.
General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler AG also are developing fuel-cell 
vehicles and have leased working models to government and business firms.
Honda plans to release fuel-cell cars on the U.S. retail market by the end 
of the year.
Nissan, which had relied on U.S.-made batteries, unveiled its own battery in 
February.
Fuel-cell vehicles are not limited to passenger cars, with Toyota and Hino 
Motors Ltd. jointly developing a fuel-cell bus.
An increasing number of midsize manufacturers, such as Mitsubishi Motors 
Corp. have begun to prepare for the fuel-cell era. While MMC gave up 
attempts to develop its own fuel-cell battery--a massively expensive 
exercise--it focused instead on design, control and safety technology for 
fuel-cell vehicles.
===
Long road to market
But there are a number of obstacles on the path to full commercialization of 
fuel-cell cars. The biggest problem is the production cost, which currently 
stands at 100 million yen per unit.
The vehicles also are expensive to lease with Honda charging 800,000 yen per 
month and Nissan 1 million yen per month. Despite the high lease fees, a 
senior Nissan representative said the company was losing money at that 
price, and the main objective of leasing the vehicles was to collect data.
To cut costs, automakers need to look at other materials for the fuel cells 
because currently, precious metals such as platinum are used as the catalyst 
for producing electricity.
Manufacturers also need to extend the distance a fuel-cell car can travel on 
one hydrogen charge. Nissan has developed a hydrogen tank that can withstand 
twice the pressure of its older version and likely will extend the travel 
range to 500 kilometers--the range of average gasoline-fueled cars--for its 
upcoming model.
But there is still room for improvement as Toyota's car has a range of 430 
kilometers while Honda's is only 300 kilometers.
In addition, infrastructure needs to be improved because fuel-cell vehicles 
require hydrogen stations that can safely store and supply high pressure 
hydrogen
===
Turning car design on its head
Without an internal combustion engine, automakers have been able to turn car 
design completely on its head in developing fuel-cell vehicles.
Toyota's i-unit, a ultracompact, one-person vehicle on display at 2005 World 
Exposition Aichi, can be operated with the driver either sitting upright or 
reclined because its in-wheel motors free it of the design constraints of a 
shaft and the axle between wheels.
Fuel-cell technology paves the way for ultrasmall vehicles with very small 
turning circles. A representative from Honda said completely new types of 
vehicles could be produced.
Although the day that fuel-cell vehicles rule the road is a long way off, 
manufacturers are accelerating their research and development.
Former Nissan Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn said the automaker 
planned to develop eco-cars that would be attractive
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