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Japan’s Prime Minister Testing the Toyota FCV

You know you did a good job if your country’s prime minister wants to test your product by himself and that’s what Toyota recently discovered after Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe stood behind the wheel of the new FCV.
Japan prime minister testing the Toyota FCV 1 photo
Photo: Toyota
At the beginning of July, Japan’s prime minister had time to test Toyota’s production version fuel cell vehicle. After all, this is what the government will give incentives for.

Contrary to what other people said, Shinzo was particularly impressed with the FCV’s acceleration and the fact that it only emits water at the back, also expressing the government’s support for the development of a hydrogen infrastructure in the country.

If you’re not up to date with the fuel cell news, apart from the infrastructure, the government will also offer substantial incentives for clients wanting to buy such a vehicle next year. Toyota’s FCV for example will benefit from at least a ¥2,035,900 ($20,000) price cut, putting it in line with small luxury sedan.

This week, Japan’s minister of economy, trade and industry, Toshimitsu Motegi, also drove the FCV as part of a visit at Toyota’s headquarters. He praised the car too, calling it an “outstanding vehicle” that will help the automotive industry change from petrol to hydrogen.

Toyota’s FCV will reach the US in the fall of 2015, possibly wearing the newly trademarked “Mirai” name, which means “future” in Japan. The car stores hydrogen in two onboard tanks rated at 700 bar, which is then fed to the fuel cell that mixes it with oxygen from the air to create water and electricity used to power the motor.

This way, the car solves the two big issues a standard plug-in EV comes with: relatively short range and long recharging times. The FCV will go at least 300 miles (483 km) and it can be refueled with hydrogen in about 3-5 minutes.

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