Toyota and Woven Planet develop portable hydrogen cartridge prototype
02 June 2022
Toyota Motor and its subsidiary, Woven Planet Holdings have developed a working prototype of its portable hydrogen cartridge. This cartridge design will facilitate the everyday transport and supply of hydrogen energy to power a broad range of daily life applications in and outside of the home. Toyota and Woven Planet will conduct Proof-of-Concept (PoC) trials in various places, including Woven City, a human-centered smart city of the future currently being constructed in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
Portable Hydrogen Cartridge (Prototype). Prototype dimensions are 400 mm (16") in length x 180 mm (7") in diameter; target weight is 5 kg (11 lbs).
Toyota and Woven Planet are studying a number of viable pathways to carbon neutrality and consider hydrogen to be a promising solution. Hydrogen has significant advantages. Zero Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is emitted when hydrogen is used. Furthermore, when hydrogen is produced using renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, CO2 emissions are minimized during the production process as well. Hydrogen can be used to generate electricity in fuel cell systems and can also be used as a combustion fuel.
Together with ENEOS Corporation, Toyota and Woven Planet are working to build a comprehensive hydrogen-based supply chain aimed at expediting and simplifying production, transport, and daily usage. These trials will focus on meeting the energy needs of Woven City residents and those living in its surrounding communities.
Suggested benefits of using hydrogen cartridges include:
Portable, affordable, and convenient energy that makes it possible to bring hydrogen to where people live, work, and play without the use of pipes
Swappable for easy replacement and quick recharging
Volume flexibility allows for a broad variety of daily use applications
Small-scale infrastructure can meet energy needs in remote and non-electrified areas and be swiftly dispatched in the case of a disaster
Today most hydrogen is generated from fossil fuels and used for industrial purposes such as fertilizer production and petroleum refining. To use hydrogen as an energy source in our homes and daily life, the technology must meet different safety standards and be adjusted to new environments. In the future, Toyota expects hydrogen will be generated with very low carbon emissions and used in a wider variety of applications. The Japanese government is working on a range of studies to promote the safe early adoption of hydrogen and Toyota and its business partners say they are excited to offer cooperation and support.
By establishing the underlying supply chain, Toyota hopes to facilitate the flow of a larger volume of hydrogen and fuel more applications. Woven City will explore and test an array of energy applications using hydrogen cartridges including mobility, household applications, and other future possibilities. In future Woven City demonstrations, Toyota will continue to improve the hydrogen cartridge itself, making it increasingly easy to use and improving the energy density.
Hydrogen Cartridge Applications
The portable hydrogen cartridge prototype will be showcased at Super Taikyu Series 2022 Round 2 at Fuji SpeedWay from 3 to 5 June 2022.
No info on pressure or capacity...
Posted by: peskanov | 02 June 2022 at 03:05 AM
Prototype dimensions
400 mm (16") in length x 180 mm (7") in diameter
Target weight
5 kg (11 lbs)
Posted by: SJC | 02 June 2022 at 10:19 AM
From the News Release: “When electricity is generated by a typical FC system, one hydrogen cartridge is assumed to generate enough electricity to operate a typical household microwave for approximately 3-4 hours (based on the assumption of using a future iteration, high-pressure hydrogen tank with an electricity output of approximately 3.3 kWh/unit).“
For Comparison, Gogoro now has a 2.5 kWh Swappable Solid State Battery that weighs 9.5 kg. Not sure if dimensions are consistent with the Swappable Battery Consortium for Electric Motorcycles spec (Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan, Inc. Organization (JASO) technical paper TP21003).
Posted by: Gryf | 02 June 2022 at 10:56 AM
¼ kilo gram of hydrogen might be adequate for scooter
Posted by: SJC | 02 June 2022 at 02:21 PM
I'm 100% behind Toyota's long standing commitment to develop hydrogen.
There is lots of lose talk about it being fossil fuels by another name, and wholly inaccurate claims that little it to be gained by its use.
A fairly recent ill sorted canard has been about leakage from hydrogen being an insuperable problem representing little or no progress. But in fact:
' Comparing the supply chain leakage of a minimally regulated hydrogen system to an average natural gas system indicates that hydrogen will still result in lower emissions (Exhibit 2). If we consider methane leakage rates that have been observed in real-time measurements (rather than assumed in standardized emissions factors), the difference is exacerbated. Leading green hydrogen producers have demonstrated that leakage during production can be minimized easily at scale with today’s technologies and operational best practices. Additionally, significant leakage is less likely for hydrogen than for natural gas, given the relatively high value of hydrogen, newer infrastructure, and the carry-over of lessons learned in detection and monitoring technology, all of which will drive down leakage across hydrogen’s supply chain.'
https://rmi.org/hydrogen-reality-check-1-hydrogen-is-not-a-significant-warming-risk/
Posted by: Davemart | 02 June 2022 at 02:38 PM
Gryf,
this thing seems like a solution looking for problem.
Posted by: peskanov | 02 June 2022 at 04:17 PM
IFit is very safe then it can be good solution to household energy needs and for mobility. Lithium is being to costly to replace petrol so we wait for low cost sodium,zinc or manganese battery.
Posted by: Nirmalkumar | 02 June 2022 at 07:20 PM
Peskanov,
This looks like a good idea. Toyota appears to be following the Japan Swappable Battery Consortium for Electric Motorcycles spec. Honda has a similar setup for it’s mobile power pack - 298mm×177.3mm×156.3mm and 10 kg (https://www.visordown.com/news/industry/honda-unveils-standardised-swappable-motorcycle-batteries).
Currently, Toyota is looking at Compressed H2. It looks like the lightest setup and has good energy density. However, you need to add the weight of the Fuel Cell to compare to a battery. Other approaches could work in this “Form Factor”, e.g. Solid State batteries or Room Temp Metal Hydride H2 storage. Whatever is actually developed depends on cost and infrastructure.
Posted by: Gryf | 03 June 2022 at 08:41 AM
This seems to be another one of Toyota's WTF projects of the month. The first thing that Toyota needs to develop is a decent set of corporate values and quit trying to lobby for keeping IC engined cars until 2050. Then they can work on developing a decent, reasonably priced BEV. They need to give up the wasteful concept of fuel cells for light duty vehicles and like most other manufacturers pledge to go all electric (and not just hybrid electric) by at least 2035. Note that in a recent post, Buick is planning on being all electric by 2030.
Davemart, Concerning hydrogen leakage, it is impossible to keep hydrogen from leaking as the hydrogen molecule is small enough to leak thru all other materials. Yes, with good design, you can keep the leakage to a minimum and hydrogen leakage may not be a problem as long as it does not accumulate. And a well designed new hydrogen system may leak less than a old natural gas system but what happens when you add hydrogen to a system designed for natural gas as some people suggest?
Posted by: sd | 05 June 2022 at 01:42 PM
@sd:
Together with other progressive companies like BMW Toyota introduced full carbon accounting in their manufacturing, and for the lifetime of their products.
Unlike others they are concerned with providing reasonably priced mobility for all, not high priced bling hoovering up subsidy for vastly polluting, heavy fake eco cars which, for instance, are enormously heavy on tire wear which is many times as polluting as a modern car's exhaust emissions.
As for the hydrogen leaks, I have taken the trouble to read, for instance, the certification specifications for carbon fiber tanks. Vanishingly small.
Sure, they ,leak and entropy happens, but not to the extent of the many degradation sources of vast batteries.
If you want to know what happens when you add hydrogen to an existing natural gas network, you only have to look at the studies and trials, which are extensively being carried out.
Sure, some bits need upgrading, depending on the percentage required.
In my youth here in this country we had a perfectly adequately functioning town gas network, containing 50% hydrogen, so you are apparently suggesting that that is impossible to replicate or better using modern technology with decades of progress.
I can't really take that as a serious or responsible critique, as it is simply an attempt at a sweeping dismissal on wholly spurious grounds,
You know better than that.
Posted by: Davemart | 05 June 2022 at 04:15 PM
@sd
In the interest of being even handed, here is a video which neatly summarises and evaluates many of the issues, and others, which you raise for hydrogen from the excellent 'Engineering with Rosie' series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrKvj2MHLVw
My own view is that these issues have reasonable, and reasonably cost effective, solutions, but I try to evaluate, not propagandise, so here is a referenced and numbers based summary of the issues you raise.
Posted by: Davemart | 06 June 2022 at 03:49 AM
Davemart, Look at what GM is doing with the Chevy Bolt. They have dropped the price again and you can buy one for about $26K without any subsidies. These are not over priced vehicles that are being supported by public subsidies.
We need "green hydrogen" to replace existing uses of gray hydrogen. What we do not need is wasting energy making hydrogen when battery electric is less expensive and more energy efficient.
I will read your reference. I know about earlier use of syngas, a not so safe mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. They also used acetylene which burns bright but can detonate (hydrogen may deflagrate but will not detonate).
Posted by: sd | 06 June 2022 at 03:46 PM
@sd:
I certainly do not advocate using hydrogen where batteries can do the job more effectively, and of course am well aware that energy conversion from one state to another can be energy inefficient.
What I dislike is not tailoring use to the application, and one eyed notions that one solution works for everything.
Light transport is at the bottom end of suitable applications for hydrogen, although even if you assume that the hydrogen is produced relatively inefficiently using low temperature electrolysis and so on, if you are running around about 30 miles or so per day on average, with the occasional longer run, ie pretty typical use in the States, in an SUV style vehicle, then a smaller battery and a fuel cell may make sense with the loss of energy efficiency only on the longer runs, against which the added convenience of simply pumping in more hydrogen should be offset.
Realistically on such a vehicle something like 150-200KWh would be needed to approach the range etc.
But the main uses and need for hydrogen are entirely elsewhere, where it is vital to decarbonise, and in fact far from standing still, the efficiencies and technologies of green hydrogen production etc are moving at a staggering rate.
Posted by: Davemart | 07 June 2022 at 03:34 AM
@sd:
Just to outline why I feel the critiques of hydrogen outlined by Rosie's interview subject are overstated:
The main obstacle they focussed on was piping hydrogen around.
There are extensive studies of the this in the UK, Germany and elsewhere, with costs, which may be referred to.
The bottom line is it is not free, but certainly technically doable.
The main issue in the video is the relatively low energy density by volume, although density by mass is acceptable.
As Rosie says, the relevant compression is do-able.
However, it is tough to move the same energy by volume around existing pipes.
What is glossed over, is that that is probably unnecessary.
Using the UK as the area I am most familiar with, the plan is to produce hydrogen on site at wind turbines to pump ashore, which is more efficient ( depending on distance ) than transmitting electricity.
For shorter distances where it is easier or more efficient to transmit electricity then conversion would be done ashore.
Where exactly depends on the rapidly changing technologies of on site, local, as opposed to central, hydrogen electrolysis.
In the UK, natural gas is the main source of heating both industrially and commercially.
But if we are to have any hope of hitting GHG targets, not only does production have to be decarbonised, but use greatly reduced.
Fortunately, that is happening, with measures from insulation and home heat pumps, , to reuse of industrial heat transforming the landscape.
So the bottom line is that it will never be necessary to shift the same amount of energy from hydrogen through the pipeline network as the gas network currently transports.
That applies locally, where increased insulation, heat pumps etc will reduce local loading as well as nationally.
So the critique that the same amount of energy as is transported by the existing gas network would be expensive and difficult to do with hydrogen is fundamentally irrelevant.
Posted by: Davemart | 07 June 2022 at 04:10 AM