Where are hydrogen cars made
Walk through the hydrogen production plant. Toyota Mirai
He's here. Literally. He smiles in a friendly and original way. But he doesn't say anything. Akio Toyoda, chairman of the board of directors of Toyota, which is currently the world's second-largest car manufacturer, rarely speaks. The products the company creates are more important than words and give more content to the picture.
In which you can include a symbolic gesture with our proposed water, enriched with ... hydrogen. It is said to have the effect of a caffeinated beverage and is currently popular in Japan. However, we are already quite excited by the fact that we are at the Motomachi plant in Toyota City, built in 1959 and located 40 km southeast of Nagoya. At present, here in the center of Japan, climatic conditions are gradually beginning to approach the conditions of a steam bath, and inside the company, where we are kind guests, people who are something like the special forces of the concern work. It was here that from the end of 2010 to 2014, 500 copies of the Lexus LFA supercar, made from carbon fiber-reinforced polymers, were produced, the car of the CEO's dream. He personally took part with a specially trained model in the 24-hour race at the Nurburgring.
Cars from now zen
However, now it is something completely different and it is called Mirai. Its production takes place in silence, in a kind of Zen garden in the middle of a huge factory. 50 workers assemble 13 cars a day, or 250 a month. This is done by hand on five workstations and starts with a painted case. The latter is also being created in Motomachi, in a completely different room. Even glue for glasses with a specific odor is applied by hand, because it would be unprofitable for the robot. And so that workers can exercise their muscles, as Mirai's project manager Yoshikatsu Tanaka jokes. He looks to the future without humor, saying that in five years the company will produce ten times as many units as the hydrogen model. He adds: "For this we will use a completely new manufacturing process and assemble a completely new vehicle." he has a lot of work.
At the factory, a quiet muffled melody sounds with Bontempi electronic organ tones, slightly distorted speakers. Holidays for workers? No, not now, because right now the car arrives at the so-called "wedding", the moment when the entire power path is connected to the body. Two men bring him under it with the help of a hand cart, after which this whole "chemical" installation, together with cylinders with hydrogen, is lifted with the help of an inflatable corrugated bag.
Expensive raw materials
The limiting factor for the Mirai market is not only the production of hydrogen and the infrastructure for its powertrain, but also the fact that expensive and rare materials such as platinum are used in the production of the car itself. When we find out about this, there is a little excitement, because we have blocked the path of a strange means of transporting small parts - a cart painted in grass green and white, driven by an apparently very experienced Japanese, which his colleague carefully picked up. . In fact, today we cross the route several times and meet her. In the meantime, a 154 hp permanent magnet electric synchronous motor is arriving to be placed underneath on the same workstation. And to keep the workers from sweating, the reflections of the pale blue T-shirts that can be seen in the car, fresh cooled air is sent to each station through special curved silver pipes.
More than half of the people on the team working here were involved in the LFA project when they produced one ultra-expensive car with its high-speed naturally aspirated V10 engine. One of them is at the entrance to the hall, and respect for him and pride in the fact that they have created this amazing machine is visible in the eyes of others. Even the emperor and his wife, who visit Motomachi, pay homage to the high-tech and avant-garde structure, with Akio Toyoda himself acting as a personal guide.
Concentration please
Today there are no such ceremonies at the factory, it is a normal working day. Thus, we can see everything that happens in it - for example, an electric lift truck that transports parts to workplaces. An electric truck is the correct definition, but incomplete given the fact that it is a fuel cell vehicle like the Mirai. By 2020, all 170 of these mobile vehicles should become such. They explain to us that they are especially quiet, because the driver must be extremely focused in his work. God forbid you accidentally move the plug and damage something in the car or in the surrounding area - because everything around is very expensive.
Perhaps it's time to remember that a fuel cell is a complex device that generates an electric current based on a chemical process in which oxygen from the air combines with hydrogen without the presence of high-temperature combustion. In the Mirai, the so-called fuel cell package is located under the front seats. It is powered by two huge tanks of hydrogen – two to be installed on the next car are currently being tested for leaks to see if they were damaged on their way from the supplier to the factory. To ensure the safety of cylindrical composite vessels, which must store hydrogen at a pressure of 700 bar, they are injected with helium at a pressure of 900 bar. Thus, in the event of a violation, in the worst case, the worker may begin to speak in an altered squeaky voice, but there is no danger of the equipment flying into the air. As a rule, the completed process at each workstation requires approval on a special tablet, and in case of a problem, assistance can be requested - which is typical of the standard Toyota production process.
Attention, exercise
A small freight train reappears, and the driver and security guard are still on duty. One thing is clear: production of the Mirai is coming to an end. The next generation will be based on the Toyota TNGA modular system, but will be produced in a different workshop and, in all likelihood, in a different plant. And it is unlikely to be more compact, because the drive requires a lot of space. However, its layout will certainly be more efficient as a spatial layout, allowing for the use of five seats instead of the current four.
The driver doesn't understand anything about all this chemical magic. A 4,89 meter long car flew through the factory and stopped for a short time. We can also upload to the so-called Ecofuel Town in Toyota City a development project showcasing the home of the future.
That's all for now. Dressed in a tracksuit, Akio continues to stand in the corner without speaking. It looks like a comic book figure. Maybe because he really is a comic book character. Made of cardboard, one meter high. Hooray! Hydrogen water.
Text: Jens Drale
Photo: Wolfgang Gröger-Mayer
Mirai as an emergency squad
All Mirai vehicles sold in Japan have an electrical outlet in the trunk. The maximum power output of nine kilowatts has been reduced to 4,5 kW from a 500 yen (000 euros) converter. Thus, a hydrogen-charged car can provide electricity to a typical household for a week with an average consumption of about 3800 kW. Why is all this needed? In Japan, where earthquakes are frequent, power outages for hours are the rule rather than the exception. In such crises, Mirai becomes an auxiliary generator, which, however, requires less maintenance. It is not clear yet whether this feature will be used overseas.
