Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) has newly introduced ‘SimpleFuel’ to its Motomachi Plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.
SimpleFuel is a small water electrolysis-based machine for hydrogen generation and filling that can produce, store, and supply hydrogen by making use of electricity generated from solar power.
It uses electricity from solar panels at the plant site to produce low-carbon hydrogen from the electrolysis of water, which is then supplied to fuel-cell (FC) forklifts after it is compressed and pressurised.
It can produce up to 99 Nm3/day (approx. 8.8 kg/day) of hydrogen, enough to fuel seven or eight FC forklifts. It can be installed in small spaces, suitable for refuelling FC forklifts within the plant.
A hydrogen station has been running at Motomachi Plant since March 2018, in conjunction with the increasing numbers of FC forklifts in use there.
By working to support fuelling through the use of SimpleFuel, with an eye toward the rising demand for hydrogen, Toyota aims to reduce CO2 emissions at the Motomachi Plant and support the accumulation of new technologies and knowledge.
Toyota intends to replace existing conventional forklifts with fuel cell forklifts. It introduced two FC forklifts in 2017, followed by an additional twenty in 2018.
This year, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment’s “Subsidy for Business Costs, etc. for Measures Combating Carbon Dioxide Emissions” has made it possible to introduce SimpleFuel and an additional 50 FC forklifts.
