Fuel Cell Car Prices Will Match Hybrids Within A Decade, Says Toyota

Toyota is a firm believer in fuel cell cars and is among the very few car manufacturers that currently provide such a car, the Mirai, right now.

As with each ground breaking technology however, the Mirai isn’t exactly cheap nor widely available to the masses. In actuality, in the U.S. it is available only in California for a fairly steep $58,500.

Toyota however predicts that the purchase price of fuel cell vehicles will fall significantly over the coming years, matching that of hybrids in a decade.

Also Read: Toyota Sold Over 3,000 Mirai Units In California, Remains Committed To Fuel Cell Tech

“By the third generation we fully anticipate fuel cell costs to be comparable with hybrids,” Toyota’s European head of marketing and sales, Matt Harrison, told AutoNews. “We believe fuel cell vehicles have a huge potential. ”

The Mirai is rsquo & the company;s first-gen FCEV, with the model expected to be hit the market in the not too distant future. Toyota plans to offer the version in a decade.

Another driver for Toyota to reach its FCEV-related goals is the increasingly tougher emission goals, which force automakers to progressively decrease the CO2 levels in their new-car fleets.

“There is no perfect technology to satisfy with this task to be successful,” Harrison added. “We are preparing choices and will let our customers decide which form of electrification suits them. ”

Toyota is expected to hit the European Union’s CO2 target for 2020 thanks to its hybrid versions and is the car manufacturer with the lowest average CO2 of any mainstream player, based on JATO.

While Harrison didn’t say how they’re planning to decrease the purchase price of the FCVs, German supplier Robert Bosch said that the technology will eventually become cheaper due to the decreased use of platinum, with future fuel cells set to use the identical quantity of platinum as a present diesel catalytic convertor.