Tokyo Friendfinder
Toyota Japan has word of a major breakthrough for one of its hydrogen-powered research cars that is sure to get plenty of column inches there.
The company announced over the weekend that a new version of its fuel-cell-driven Highlander SUV made a 350-mile journey from Japan’s second city, Osaka, to Tokyo without needing to be refueled.
After refitting an earlier model, Toyota found that the new Highlander could actually manage 550 miles on a single tank of hydrogen. Fuel efficiency was increased by a quarter, while the tank’s capacity doubled and the power-control system was also upgraded to perform better.
Boy racers worried about having to tolerate no-frills clunkers worthy of pre-1989 Eastern Europe will be reassured to hear that the Highlander kept its air conditioning on throughout the journey and averaged 50mph. Perhaps we can save the planet after all, then, eh?
(Crossposted to Tech.co.uk)
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10:49 PM 
Mark Hiratsuka •
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Household | R&D | Transportation 
Tagged with:
fuel cells
highlander
hydrogen
toyota
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