In a recent test of a Toyota Highlander Fuel Cell Hybrid, the vehicle drove an average of 431 miles on one tank of compressed hydrogen gas. This is equal to 68.3 miles/kg. Engineers from Toyota, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Savannah River National Laboratory took two vehicles on a daylong trip on June 30 to test the FCHV-adv technology.

“The drive began at TMS headquarters in Torrance, traveled north to Santa Monica, turned south to San Diego and finally retraced the route back to Torrance. The route encompassed a variety of drive cycles, including high speed highway driving, moderate highway driving and stop and go traffic on surface streets, in an effort to capture a typical commute. Each vehicle was outfitted with a data collection system that captured vehicle speed, distance traveled, hydrogen consumed, hydrogen tank pressure, temperature and internal tank volume.” Source: PR Newswire

The 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid has a 26 mpg combined fuel efficiency rating with a full tank range of 450 miles. With hydrogen gas expected to cost between $2 and $3 per kilogram, an FCHV-adv version of the Highlander hybrid will travel longer distances for the same price (or less). However, as is often the case with hybrid models, the initial upfront costs may be thousands more.

The benefit of the FCHV-adv is that it produces zero tailpipe emissions. Although you’d be paying more for the vehicle upfront, you’d drastically reduce your personal carbon footprint.

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