Toyota is contemplating power sources for its future vehicles Fossil fuel, electric, hybrid, and now hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are among the possibilities At the Japan Mobility Show Bizweek 2024, Toyota unveiled a portable hydrogen cartridge that could potentially provide swappable power for future FCEVs

Essentially, this large hydrogen cartridge looks like an oversized AA battery, which jacks into the car (or other device that needs power) to provide power When the hydrogen runs out, it can be replaced with a new cartridge to keep it constantly supplied with power

My colleague James Frew, who wrote my dissertation on EV and battery design, pointed out that the best way to think of this tank is like a propane gas tank that powers a gas grill When the propane runs out, either fill it up or replace it with a new tank

The problem here is that almost no one is building hydrogen cars (sure, Toyota showed off a substandard racing car powered by hydrogen, but that is not a consumer option) On the other hand, an easier way to fill hydrogen-powered cars (like Toyota's concept cartridges) could motivate other automakers to get into hydrogen-powered cars and possibly move toward them in the future

An important aspect of Toyota's announcement is that the company has “reduced the size and weight of its previously large and difficult-to-carry hydrogen tanks to a hand-held size” From a rendering of the cartridge mounted in an automobile, it appears to be not much larger than a popular oversized Bluetooth speaker, which seems like a big deal

In addition to cars, Toyota also cites using the batteries to power homes and supply hydrogen for cooking Toyota and Rinnai Corporation have teamed up to show off a concept stove that does just that and looks pretty impressive

While these cartridges are far from ready for use in cars and homes, Toyota plans to work with companies to bring them to the public Toyota aims to match the technologies and ideas of various companies and startups in terms of providing services and developing and marketing devices that use portable hydrogen cartridges By doing so, Toyota will further strengthen its commitment to portable hydrogen cartridges and contribute to the realization of a hydrogen society,” the company said in a press release