Fukushima Prefecture and Toyota Begin Discussions Aimed at Building a Hydrogen-based City of the Future in Fukushima Prefecture

Jun 04, 2021 16:18 JST

Source: Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota City, Japan, Jun 04, 2021 - (JCN Newswire) - Fukushima Prefecture and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced today that they have commenced discussions with various partners over building a city for a new future that makes use of hydrogen and technologies produced in Fukushima Prefecture.

In order to further promote reconstruction, Fukushima Prefecture is focusing on hydrogen, a new form of energy, and has undertaken to build one of the first models for a future hydrogen society.

Isuzu, Hino, and Toyota all seek to realize carbon neutrality, and wish to contribute to the building of a new city of the future in Fukushima via their three-company partnership; consequently, Fukushima Prefecture, Toyota, and their partners will create an implementation model for hydrogen-based deliveries at supermarkets and convenience stores, which play a role both as essential urban infrastructure and as evacuation areas in times of disaster. They will first build an implementation model for a city with a population of 300,000 people, before embarking on a challenge to apply the model to similar-sized cities nationwide.

The implementation model will make use of hydrogen produced at multiple sites in the prefecture, including Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R), introduce several fuel cell (FC) trucks for deliveries, optimize operational management and hydrogen refilling schedules through the use of connected technologies, and carry out energy management that caters to the prevailing local conditions.

In addition, in response to the needs and issues experienced by Namie Town--where FH2R is located--and other regions in the prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Toyota, and their partners will operate FC kitchen cars and medical cars, and use hydrogen at stores and plants in Fukushima Prefecture to reduce supply chain carbon emissions.

Following the announcement of Japan's 2050 Carbon Neutral Goal, there is a growing need for concrete initiatives aimed at building sustainable societies that can be passed on to future generations. Fukushima Prefecture, Toyota, and their partners share this conviction; to this end, they intend to steadily promote the realization of one of the world's first hydrogen societies, and of carbon neutrality, by expanding their spheres of cooperation, and taking advantage of the diverse regional characteristics of Fukushima Prefecture.

Participating partners, as of June 4, 2021 (in alphabetical order)
- Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.
- AEON CO., LTD.
- Isuzu Motors Limited
- SATONENRYO CO., LTD.
- Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd.
- DENSO FUKUSHIMA CORPORATION
- NEMOTO Corporation
- Hino Motors, Ltd.
- FamilyMart Co., Ltd.
- MARUTO CO., LTD.
- YORK-BENIMARU CO., Ltd.
- Lawson, Inc.
- Fukushima Renewable Energy Institute, AIST

Partner organization
New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization

Source: Toyota Motor Corporation
Sectors: Automotive