Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that approximately 5,680 of its Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) related patents are free for use in a bid to accelerate the launch of fuel cell vehicles and the roll-out of hydrogen refuelling stations worldwide.
Toyota made the announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last night. During the presentation accompanying the announcement, Toyota said that, “We believe that Hydrogen-electric will be the primary fuel …for the next hundred years” before going on to affirm its support for the development of the associated hydrogen infrastructure with “…our commitment to do everything possible to kick-start the development of hydrogen re-fuelling infrastructure. Very simply we cannot have the car without the re-fuelling stations.”
By making these patents, including 70 patents for hydrogen refuelling stations, available to the industry, Toyota believes new fuel cell components and systems can be refined and improved to increase performance, reduce costs, and build a much larger market.
Dr. Graham Cooley, CEO, ITM Power commented, “We are delighted that Toyota has taken this bold step to kick-start the market. This is the most significant news we have seen in the development of FCEVs and will be a mayor driving force for other OEMs to develop hydrogen vehicles and for governments worldwide to fund hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.”
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