Top Japanese carmakers said on Monday they were teaming up to nearly double the amount of hydrogen stations in Japan, as the car-mad country seeks to head off competition from China and Germany. “At this stage, we believe there is significant space for cooperation, rather than searching for areas of competition,” Shigeki Terashi, Toyota executive vice president told reporters. Hydrogen stations and fuel cell vehicles must be promoted in tandem in order to lower their cost, executives said. “Unless infrastructure makers team up, new hydrogen stations tend to be concentrated in urban areas,” said Hideki Sugawara, president of the new firm. The Japanese government and the auto industry aim to introduce 160 stations and 40,000 fuel-cell vehicles by March 2020.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer March 05, 2018 08:26 UTC