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Toyota Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Vehicles are the Future

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Forget these EV things.

Toyota Hydrogen Fuel-Cell

Toyota’s FCV Concept

Electric vehicles are the future. At least, that’s what we’ve been hearing from the auto industry for years now. Just look at the success Tesla has seen in recent years. But very recently, a big player in the alternative fuel game turned its back on electric vehicles as a viable long-range alternative to mainstream gasoline-powered vehicles. That player is Toyota, and Toyota’s money now lies—literally and figuratively—in hydrogen fuel cell technology. [ View our gallery to see Toyota’s FCV Concept. ]

Known for its major success in the hybrid market (Hello? Prius?), Toyota has also dabbled with all-electric vehicles. As a major shareholder in Tesla Motors, Toyota certainly has a huge fascination with the prospect of all-electric vehicles humming down the streets. But for itself, Toyota has decided that further research and development in the EV field is unnecessary. Jim Lentz, Toyota North America chief, told Automotive News that EVs are viable in“a select way, in short range vehicles that take you that extra mile, from the office to the train, or home to the train, as well as being used on large campuses.”

So instead of continuing to push for EVs, Toyota is taking a different approach. The company has shown its FCV Concept vehicle at multiple auto shows, suggesting that this could be a prototype for a production Toyota hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. In fact, Toyota plans on beginning building its first ever production fuel-cell vehicle in 2015, leaving green car enthusiasts waiting impatiently to get a glimpse of this potentially industry-changing car.

In the meantime, Toyota will continue to concentrate on producing its hybrid vehicles that have become popular across the country. And us? We will be here, waiting to see what this production fuel-cell vehicle might look like. FCV, please!

Gallery: FCV Concept at NAIAS