Toyota Partnering With Melbourne Council For Australian First Hydrogen Fcev Trials

BY Diane Marini

Toyota Partnering With Melbourne Council For Australian First Hydrogen Fcev Trials – Nov 05, 2018 – Aichi, Japan (Techreleased) – In an Australian first, Toyota Australia is partnering with a Melbourne council for a real-world trial of environmentally friendly, zero CO₂ emitting hydrogen-electric vehicles.

From today, three Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), the first of their kind to be driven by members of the public in Australia, will be provided to Hobson’s Bay City Council in Melbourne’s inner west for a 12-week trial.

During that period, the Mirais (Japanese for ‘future’) will be driven by council staff under a range of conditions and at different times of the day, just like any other vehicle.

The trial will help Hobson’s Bay City Council reduce its vehicle fleet emissions and reach its environmental target of zero CO₂ by 2020.

Hobsons Bay City Council Mayor Angela Altair said Council staff were looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the FCEVs.

“Our staff will use the three Toyota Mirais to carry out their work for our community,” said Cr Altair.

“We will feed back the experience of our staff to Toyota, so they can learn more about the experience and performance of these cars.”

Cr Altair said trialling the hydrogen fuel cell electric cars as part of Council’s fleet brings both the community and the organisation closer to meeting their goals for addressing climate change.

“One of the key priorities in the Hobsons Bay 2030 Community Vision is sustainable practices and growth through innovation, access to local jobs, technology and education,” said Cr Altair.

“This is just the beginning. It’s an exciting first step to not only build greater awareness about this new technology and the Mirai FCEV, but it’s also step towards a cleaner, greener future,” Mr MacLeod said.

HYDROGEN FUEL CELL FORKLIFT TRIALS

Melbourne is fast on its way to becoming Australia’s hydrogen hub, with two hydrogen fuel cell (FC) forklifts being trialled at Toyota Australia’s former manufacturing site in Altona.

The Toyota Material Handling FC forklifts are the first to be used by Toyota outside of Japan.

“When a sustainable energy source like solar, wind and water is used to produce the hydrogen, there is a high potential for energy cost savings,” he said.

“With conventional forklift special care is needed when charging and maintaining the battery, whereas a FC forklift is considered simpler when it comes to refuelling and scheduled maintenance.”

The forklifts will be shipped to Sydney next month to make an appearance at the official opening of the new Toyota Parts Centre in Kemp’s Creek in Western Sydney.

TOYOTA’S COMMITMENT TO ALTERNATIVE FUEL SOURCES

Toyota Australia’s leadership in the introduction of hydrogen technologies to Australia has also been seen through its role in co-founding industry association Hydrogen Mobility Australia with Hyundai in 2017.

Hydrogen Mobility Australia CEO, Claire Johnson, said Toyota’s Mirai trial program will help drive the growth of the hydrogen industry and the development of infrastructure.