Toyota to market hydrogen vehicles in 2015; Linde starts small-series production of fueling stations

Note to journalists: Please report that this research will be presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4, 2014 — Carmakers like Toyota have long touted the eco-friendly virtues of zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, but commercialization was hindered by the high cost of critical materials and infrastructure. Now, Toyota has cut costs by 90 percent and German industrial gases and engineering company Linde AG will start small-series production of hydrogen fueling stations. Some of the stations are slated to open in California as Toyota debuts its Highlander hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) in 2015.

As part of the 248^th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the Toyota Highlander FCEV will be on display at the Exposition, and the head of Linde’s U.S. hydrogen fueling team, along with nationally recognized chemical engineers, will discuss this transportation revolution during a press conference.

The press conference will be held Monday, August 11, at 9 a.m. Pacific time in the Moscone Center, North Building. Reporters may check-in at Room 113 in person, or access live video of the event and ask questions at the ACS Ustream channel http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acslive. The press conference will feature the following speakers:

• Michael Beckman, vice president/head of Hydrogen Fueling, Linde North America, Inc.
• Amanda Morris, Ph.D., assistant professor, Inorganic and Energy Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic and State University
• Chulsung Bae, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The Toyota Highlander FCEV can travel five times farther than currently available electric vehicles before recharging, refuels in minutes and emits only heat and water vapor — not fossil-fuel emissions — a huge benefit in reducing the impacts of climate change. The Toyota Highlander hydrogen FCEV will be on display at the Moscone Center from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, August 11-12, in the ACS Exposition, Halls B & C. A Toyota specialist will be on hand to answer questions.

The 248^th National Meeting & Exposition of the ACS will feature nearly 12,000 presentations on cutting-edge, scientific research in a wide range of chemistry disciplines.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.