Toyota: UAE can become capital of clean energy world
2nd International Conference on Future Mobility
DUBAI: Standing by its commitment to environmental sustainability, Toyota Motor Corporation has highlighted the UAE’s potential to become the capital of the clean energy world by producing and utilizing hydrogen as a promising energy source that powers the most ecofriendly vehicles, namely Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCVs).
At the 2nd International Conference on Future Mobility, Toyota has proposed that the possibility of setting up a hydrogen-based society is studied and evaluated to understand the role it can play in contributing to the UAE Vision 2021’s sustainability goals and help mitigate the environmental impact of fossil fuel consumption.
Toyota introduced Prius as the world’s first mass-production hybrid vehicle in 1997. To date, the company has sold around 9 million hybrids that have already contributed to a CO2 reduction of 67 million tons and this number is increasing further.
“We believe that hybrids with their eco-friendly technology offer a great way to reduce fossil fuel consumption and thereby decreased CO2 emissions. However, to boost this even further, technologies such as those that power FCVs are crucial,” said Kiyotaka Ise, Senior Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation.
“Having identified hydrogen as a promising energy source for the future, we are committed to developing FCV as the ultimate environmentally friendly vehicle,” he added. Highlighting some of the numerous advantages of FCVs, Ise noted that hydrogen as a fuel source for FCVs can be produced using a wide variety of primary energy sources. In addition, FCVs emit only water when driven, thereby producing zero CO2 emissions, with the powertrain offering smooth, quiet driving and excellent acceleration at low-to-mid range speeds. FCVs can also be used as a power supply, which can prove to be extremely useful in case of natural disasters. Further, they also offer an excellent range, and refueling them only takes three minutes - giving owners a considerable freedom of use.
“If hydrogen usage is extended beyond vehicles towards an establishment of hydrogen-based society, naturally, the benefits of CO2 reduction would be much greater,” Ise added.
The UAE already has an abundant supply of hydrogen being generated from using excess capacity at oil refineries and ammonia plants, as well as a byproduct at its existing caustic soda and ethylene plants.
“A careful assessment of hydrogen’s potential as the fuel source of the future can help the UAE become the capital of clean energy world,” Ise concluded. The 2nd International Conference on Future Mobility is taking place until 15 November, 2016 at Grand Hyatt, Dubai.