Energy

Toyota packages up a 'crate' fuel cell module you can use for anything

Toyota packages up a 'crate' fuel cell module you can use for anything
The horizontal type module produces 60 or 80 kW of power at 400-750 volts
The horizontal type module produces 60 or 80 kW of power at 400-750 volts
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The horizontal type module produces 60 or 80 kW of power at 400-750 volts
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The horizontal type module produces 60 or 80 kW of power at 400-750 volts
The module contains the fuel cell stack itself, plus an air compressor, water pump and boost converter. BYO hydrogen tanks, cooling system and air cleaner
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The module contains the fuel cell stack itself, plus an air compressor, water pump and boost converter. BYO hydrogen tanks, cooling system and air cleaner
The vertical type fuel cell module makes 60 or 80 kW at 400-750 volts
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The vertical type fuel cell module makes 60 or 80 kW at 400-750 volts
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Fuel cells generate electricity from hydrogen, so they're a key part of the powertrain for hydrogen-powered electric vehicles and aircraft. But they can also be useful in a range of other applications, and in order to promote developments outside its own product lineup, Toyota has packaged up a fuel cell module you can buy more or less like a crate engine, ready to plumb into whatever device you'd like to power with hydrogen.

Toyota is heavily invested in hydrogen, as is Kia/Hyundai – a reflection of the Japanese and Korean governments' commitments to working towards a hydrogen energy economy. As one of the only companies producing fuel cells at scale, it's looking to provide a very easy way for other companies to buy and use its technology.

Thus, it's announced its intention to manufacture "FC Modules" that can easily be integrated into cars, trucks, buses, trains, ships, stationary generators and any other suitable application.

The module contains the fuel cell stack itself, plus an air compressor, water pump and boost converter. BYO hydrogen tanks, cooling system and air cleaner
The module contains the fuel cell stack itself, plus an air compressor, water pump and boost converter. BYO hydrogen tanks, cooling system and air cleaner

Each module contains a fuel cell stack, boost converter, air compressor, hydrogen pump and water pump, wrapped up in a spiffy box. You'll need to supply your own hydrogen tanks, as well as clean air and a cooling circuit. The output is a supply of electricity, operating at a range of voltages between 400 V and 750 V, which you can route to a buffer battery or run straight through a work circuit depending on what you're doing.

Two shapes will be available: a "vertical" unit measuring 890 x 630 x 690 mm (35 x 24.8 x 27.2 inches) and weighing about 250 kg (551 lb), and a horizontal unit measuring 1,270 x 630 x 410 mm (50 x 24.8 x 16.1 inches) and weighing about 240 kg (529 lb). Each of these will be available in 60 and 80 kW versions, and Toyota claims they all offer "world-class, top level output density per unit volume" and "simple and infrequent" maintenance.

The modules can easily be combined to scale things up, and Toyota is more than willing to commit engineers to help companies design efficiently around them.

Source: Toyota

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13 comments
13 comments
GeoffG.
What a strange looking box. It looks like something you might store your cuff links in.
Elef Pavlides
Hydrogen is a losing proposition.

The fossil fuel guys can make hydrogen from methane and pulling at straws to at a futile attempt to prevent their methane assets to becoming valueless like oil and coal. Sorry curtains are down for the fossil fuel industry. If they have any brains they will cash out their wealth and do something productive like geothermal (like Chevron is doing).

Clean hydrogen has some uses in the clean economy. Transportation is not one of them. Toyota is going to be decimated if they do not change their tune.
HalSlater
Please, people, understand that H2 and nuclear fusion are scams. Way too expensive and subsidized way too much. They are simply an attempt by big money to perpetuate their umbilical cord to our wallets. You can fully own solar to fuel your home and car at a lower cost than fossil fuels, no monthly payments required. Big money needs an income stream from small money. We don't need them. Solar, batteries and wind are our future. Waves can give us a steady baseload. Tell your representatives to say no to big money energy schemes.
buzzclick
If Toyota is manufacturing these versatile FC Modules, people should listen up and pay attention. If someone comes up with an efficient way to produce hydrogen, it may blow all the not-so-green battery technologies away with power that is truly clean and plentiful.
michael_dowling
Elef Pavlides H2 will be indispensable for aviation,ships and maybe trains,assuming clean H2 is used. But for everything else,I agree with you.
Douglas Rogers
Someone needs to make a natural gas fuel cell for home power to replace piston generator.
jerryd
Too embarrassed to say the price still I see.
I'd bet $50k-90k.
H2 has too many conversion losing at each one until little is left.
For instance Toyota says their Miari ? FC car takes 1kwh/mile vs only 250wthr/mile for a BEV.
And present H2 cost is $16/gal/kg and unlikely to come down to what the shills say.
GeoffG.
@Douglas Rogers : The byproduct of natural gas fueled fuel cells is still carbon dioxide - the very thing we are trying to avoid. We did it all at E.C.L. 52 years go - phosphoric acid, molten carbonate & sold oxide cells. The CO2 was discharged to atmosphere.
Edi
Oh my,to all “batteries and wind will save the world” blind followers,oil is not going anywhere for foreseeable future.Hydrogen will not disappear as many think.
Have any of you guys ever seen a Road Train from Australia,and distances that they cover?No battery can power those monsters,and please do not start with Tesla trucks.
Aermaco
There is no doubt by those who understand and actually know that travel will be dominated when fueling time becomes the minimum. Therefore ONLY H2 can deliver that,, PERIOD.
But Batteries will always survive along with capacitors for high power needs in the heavy power dumps for vertical lifting,, while H2 will do the distance and the greater volume of power and energy needed for most of the traveling.
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