No. 749: Deregulation for fuel-cell vehicles (July 29, 2013)

Technology: 

The Japanese government will relax the regulations imposed on fuel-cell vehicles expected to be the favorite of eco vehicles. Toyota and other leading automakers are scheduled to put fuel-cell vehicle on the market in 2015, and the government supports the spread of fuel-cell vehicles with deregulation. The government plans to increase the number of hydrogen stands from 20 at present to 100 by the end of 2015. (Photo: Ariake Hydrogen Station)

It currently costs 600 million yen to construct a hydrogen stand because only stainless steel is allowed as the material. The government will approve less expensive chrome molybdenum steel as a material with a view to reducing the construction cost by 30%. In addition, it will approve the construction of a liquefied hydrogen stand on the street. The liquefied hydrogen stand is capable of storing hydrogen in volume in a smaller space needed by the conventional hydrogen stand. Japan has only one liquefied hydrogen stand on the street at present due to a lack of technological standards. At the same time, the inspection procedures of a fuel-cell vehicle will also be deregulated for faster development and launch.

When a fuel-cell vehicle was launched 10 years ago for lease offering, it was priced at higher than 100 million yen. But it is expected that the fuel-cell vehicle to be launched in 2015 will be priced at about 5 million yen. The Japanese standards of fuel-cell vehicles have based the international safety standards of fuel-cell vehicles agreed by 33 countries and regions in June this year. 

The latest technology of a hydrogn station