(Credit: Toyota)Toyota and Eneos will produce and distribute hydrogen as well as research and design a management system for the clean fuel at Toyota’s Woven City project. The companies say the hydrogen refueling station will help meet the energy needs in and around Woven City, normalize clean energy operations and accelerate carbon neutral targets. The Eneos hydrogen refueling station is expected to be operational before the opening of Woven City in 2024-2025.
The hydrogen will be supplied to Woven City and also used for fuel cell electric vehicles. As part of the agreement Eneos will build and operate a hydrogen refueling station near Woven City as well as produce green hydrogen produced from electrolyzers using renewable energy. That green hydrogen will be used at a fuel cell generator that will be installed by Toyota within Woven City, which is currently being constructed in Japan.
The fuel produced from the project will not only be used for fuel cell electric vehicles, but also be supplied to a pipeline. The companies say they will also consider connecting the community energy management system of Woven City with the hydrogen production.
Eneos and Toyota first revealed a partnership to develop hydrogen for the community last year. Eneos has 45 commercial hydrogen refueling stations in Japan.
Hydrogen is becoming a main piece in clean energy transitions worldwide.
There are organizations advancing its use, such as Building the Clean Hydrogen Economy and the Green Hydrogen Catapult. SoCalGas in California is planning what it calls the United States’ largest green hydrogen energy infrastructure and pipeline system.
Automakers are also leading the way in the expanding fuel cell market, which is expected to reach nearly $25 billion by 2028.
Toyota recently partnered with Isuzu and Hino to increase fuel cell electric bus production. Fuel cell and electric vehicle projects are a big part of Volvo’s sustainability targets and General Motors is taking the technology beyond vehicles with projects such as mobile power generation.
Woven City, which is located near Mt. Fuji, was announced by Toyota in 2020 and ground broke on the community in February 2021. It is intended to be a living laboratory community, according to Toyota, where researchers can test and develop technologies like autonomy and artificial intelligence.
The companies will work with Toyota subsidiary Woven Planet Holdings on managing technical logistics of the hydrogen program.
