Filling a hydrogen tank is very similar to filling a gas car in terms of the basic experience and the time it takes. This has been a major barrier to EVs so far; Adding 20 minutes or more to each recharge on a road trip is not nearly as attractive as going to a Chevron station and getting out of there in a few minutes. However, hydrogen has not yet been used as a large-scale solution, largely due to funding, although to date no large-scale solution has been found. US Department of Energy He says it has “many benefits over traditional combustion-based technologies currently used in many power plants and vehicles.”
In December, Toyota Announce Its intention to strengthen hydrogen infrastructure in the United States by investing in FirstElement Fuel, the largest provider of retail hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California. The automaker has spent the past 30 years researching and developing hydrogen fuel cells. In fact, Toyota has an entire campus in Gardena, California, dedicated solely to hydrogen research. While it has been improving hydrogen fuel cell technologies since 2001, the campus has just been renamed the Toyota North American Hydrogen Headquarters (called H2HQ), in 2024.
Toyota debuted its hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan in 2015, but so far it’s only been available in California, the only place in the country where hydrogen pumps are available for passenger cars. At its testing grounds in Arizona, Toyota is also testing its Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell-powered heavy-duty trucks, where they compete with their diesel-powered counterparts. I’ve had the opportunity to ride shotgun in an FCEV and a diesel semi on two separate test rides, and the hydrogen truck is considerably cleaner and faster, spewing water from its tailpipe instead of noxious fumes. However, getting the rest of the country to adopt H2 is a long game.
How do hydrogen fuel cells work?
Hydrogen has the symbol H and atomic number 1, and is the lightest and most abundant element in the universe. It can be produced by steam methane reforming, electrolysis, biomass gasification and hydrogen separation. Fuel cells generate electricity through electrochemical reaction, not combustion, and are used to provide power for homes, businesses, and transportation. They don’t need to be recharged periodically like batteries, they just need access to a source of more fuel.
The fuel cell consists of an anode, cathode and an electrolyte membrane. According to its headquarters in the capital Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy AssociationThis is how the process is done:
- Hydrogen atoms enter at the anode while oxygen passes through the cathode.
- The catalyst strips the atoms of their electrons and separates the protons.
- Positively charged protons pass through the porous electrolyte membrane to the cathode, and negatively charged electrons are pushed through the circuit, generating electricity.
- After passing through the circuit, the electrons combine with protons and oxygen from the air to generate the byproducts of the fuel cell: water and heat.
“I think a lot of people think it’s a very complicated system, but it’s just a battery with an anode and the chemical reaction happens silently when hydrogen is added to the system,” says Debbie Byrne, executive program manager, Toyota North America. “There are no moving parts, so you get that advantage, too. You don’t take it to the dealership for an oil change, and you get less wear compared to a piston-driven engine.”
Oil and gas fueled vehicles are not a risk free process either. Gasoline tanks can be dangerous if they’re not made with quality materials and processes, and although safety measures have come a long way, you’ll still see warnings about static electricity at gas pumps across America. Collecting oil is also expensive, but the infrastructure and support are well established.
Toyota uses the same level of detail and attention to safety when it comes to building its hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as it does with its gas-powered and hybrid cars, trucks and SUVs. Additionally, hydrogen sensors detect a leak or collision, Toyota says; In the event of an accident, the hydrogen tank valves are designed to close, preventing any additional hydrogen from escaping.
Convince skeptics
Hydrogen is clean energy that can be produced using solar, wind and biowaste. Toyota and Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy are launching a first-of-its-kind “Tri-gen” system in 2023, which uses biogas from a nearby wastewater treatment facility to produce renewable electricity, renewable hydrogen and usable water. These products are used in port vehicle handling operations at Toyota Logistic Services Long Beach. .
Toyota says the use of renewable electricity helps reduce more than 9,000 tons of projected carbon dioxide emissions annually, while unused electricity is returned to local utilities. Each day, the Tri-gen facility produces up to 1,200 kilograms of hydrogen per day for fuel cell electric vehicles, including large Class 8 trucks, and recycles about 1,400 gallons of water per day.
The recycled water is used to wash vehicles just coming from the factory in Japan before they are delivered, reducing water waste from the local factory. Notably, Toyota and FuelCell’s Tri-gen facility was honored with a 2025 Project of the Year award from the U.S. Department of Energy in May. The “Best Project” award honors innovation in energy, water and waste reduction efficiency.
Toyota bills it as a “game changer” for the world, but it has its fair share of that Skeptics And the naysayers. Hosted by Toyota’s Caleb Jacobs, Toyota and a select group of journalists to tour its 12,000-acre proving ground in Arizona recently. drive He entered skeptical and emerged enlightened, if not entirely convinced, by hydrogen energy. He says it has become clear that Toyota views hydrogen as a solution to a future that is not yet clear to the average person.
Take, for example, Toyota’s H2-Overland concept, unveiled at the SEMA Show in November, which collects and filters water produced by a fuel cell. Users can then use this renewable water supply for non-potable tasks such as washing hands or dishes.
“Imagine the same idea, but with industrial generators and power supplies,” Jacobs says.
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