Toyota Named to 50 Most Innovative Companies List
Since the advent of the Prius back at the turn of the century, Toyota has been at the head of the game when it comes to alternative fuel vehicles. The Japanese automaker currently offers seven different hybrid models for sale in the US—three of which are hybrid-only models with no gasoline counterpart. And more recently, Toyota announced the creation and impending release of the Mirai fuel cell vehicle to markets in Japan, Europe, California, and some Northeastern US states.
The 2015 Toyota Prius
Now, thanks in large part to its commitment to the future of vehicular technology, Toyota has been named to the “50 Most Innovative Companies” 2015 list by Fast Company magazine. Not only has Toyota created a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle of its own; it’s also released its patents, free of charge, to companies that want to help develop the technology for themselves.
From the article published in the March 2015 issue of Fast Company:
Toyota plans to do for fuel cells what its Prius did for hybrids: make them ubiquitous and top of mind for environmentally conscious consumers… While other automakers are experimenting with fuel cells as niche vehicles, Toyota is the only one to engineer a global release, making all of its fuel-cell components in house.
The 2016 Toyota Mirai
The Toyota Mirai is already on sale in Japan, and is slated for a US release in the third quarter of 2015. Toyota is hoping that by sharing its patents and encouraging growth in the hydrogen vehicle market, refueling infrastructure will spread across the US, making the Mirai an eventual reality for all American drivers—not just those in California and certain East Coast states. Only time will tell!
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