Japan may soon become the largest market for fuel cell vehicles in the world. The government has plans to support clean transportation more aggressively in the near future, bringing fuel cell vehicles to the forefront of the market. Both Toyota and Honda, the country’s largest automakers, are bringing their new fuel cell vehicles to the country and these companies are also investing in the development of a comprehensive hydrogen fuel infrastructure. Currently, there are 50 fuel cell vehicles on the roads in Japan. The government, however, expects that this number will explode to 40,000 by 2020. By 2030, the number of fuel cell vehicles in Japan is likely to reach 800,000. As more of these vehicles enter the market, the need for a large-scale hydrogen fuel infrastructure will grow. As such, more fueling stations are expected to be built in many parts of the country. By 2020, the number of hydrogen stations open to the public in Japan is expected to reach 160. Fuel cell vehicles are becoming more popular because they do not produce any harmful emissions. Fuel cells consume hydrogen to generate electrical power and are considered very efficient, albeit quite expensive. The development of new hydrogen stations is also somewhat expensive, which has slowed the growth of Japan’s hydrogen fuel infrastructure. Growth of this infrastructure is likely to accelerate in the coming years as more fuel cell vehicles enter the market and the demand for hydrogen increases. The Japanese government also has plans to support the research and development of new fuel cell technology. The government wants these energy systems to be more affordable in order to ensure the growth of the clean transportation space. Currently, fuel cells are expensive because of their use of platinum. Making fuel cells less expensive is expected to add momentum to the adoption of fuel cell vehicles.
Japan ’s hydrogen fuel cell industry is set to grow , as the government throws its weight behind plans to bring clean energy to the country with a comprehensive fuel economy . Japan currently has 50 fuel cell vehicles on its roads , but that number is expected to reach 40,000 by 2020 and more by 2020 . This will require the construction of more fuelling stations across the country . The Japanese government is committed to developing affordable energy systems and is also backing the “ the research and development ” of fuel cell technology .