Parallel Session 5 dubbed " Moving Hydrogen Vehicle Into Commercialization" took place at the "NHA Annual Hydrogen Conference" in Sacramento. GM, Daimler AG and BMW of Germany, Toyota and Honda delivered lectures.
From Toyota, Katsuhiko Hirose, Fuel Cell Project general manager of Fuel Cell System Development Group, delivered a lecture. He insisted that there is no sense in discussing the superiority and inferiority of technologies when it comes to protecting the environment and that good effects can only be generated when a number of automobiles incorporating excellent technologies penetrate the global market.
To meet this goal, automakers must make attractive products and if the consumers feel inconvenience due to few hydrogen stations being available, for example, hybrids will not spread efficiently, he said.
Citing "Who Killed the Electric Car," a documentary film that explores reasons why electric vehicles never became popular, Hirose explained five miracles needed to diffuse fuel cell cars.
Specifically, the five miracles needed for diffusion of fuel cell cars are (1) cost reduction, (2) comfortable interior space, (3) reasonable fuel prices, (4) efficient diffusion of hydrogen stations and (5) no evolution of rival technologies. He caused a stir in the audience, stating the industry can overcome all these challenges except for the efficient diffusion of hydrogen stations.
Automobile manufacturers can solve problems by working hard if only the challenges are related to fuel cell cars, whereas the diffusion of hydrogen stations cannot be realized only by automobile manufacturers, he stressed. To make the miracle come true, he called for cooperation of energy companies and the government toward the diffusion of hydrogen stations.
He also said that it is important to establish more infrastructure before commercializing fuel cell cars and that increasing fuel cell cars as quickly as possible will lower costs for cars and infrastructure maintenance while meeting consumer benefits. However, financial policies of the government and other organizations will be essential to cover losses by energy companies that handle hydrogen stations, he added.
Furthermore, in an attempt to make fuel cell cars penetrate the market, incentives that would benefit individuals are more important than financial incentives, he said. For example, he mentioned the permission to drive dedicated lanes, preferential treatments at parking spaces and the permission to drive into areas where the number of cars are limited or cars are charged some money to reduce the amount of emission gas.
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