On July 18, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became one of the first people to experience Toyota’s upcoming fuel cell sedan when he drove the vehicle at a hydrogen station in Kitakyushu, Japan. A few things noted to him was the absence of an exhaust pipe, and that the car’s only by-product was water.
Giving his thoughts on the sedan, Prime Minister Abe noted that acceleration was particularly impressive, and commented that fuel cell vehicles are “very friendly to the environment”. He also expressed the government’s support for the development of hydrogen infrastructure in Japan.
Earlier this week, Toshimitsu Motegi, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, drove the fuel cell vehicle when he visited Toyota’s headquarters in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture. Minister Motegi also praised the car, calling it an “outstanding vehicle”. The car will launch in Japan before April 2015, and preparations are underway for launches in the U.S. and European markets in the summer of 2015.
