Not long ago, Ukraine military used a scrapped Toyota Mirai hydrogen energy car as a bomb to successfully blow up a factory in Russia, the incident that quickly sparked widespread attention and discussion around the world. Toyota, as a pioneer of hydrogen energy vehicles in the world, this event has undoubtedly had a huge impact on its brand image and the market prospect of hydrogen energy vehicles. China Exportsemi will conduct in-depth analysis and comments on the embarrassing situation of Toyota and hydrogen energy vehicles based on the background of the event, technical details, market status and expert views.
Background to the event
According to reports, the Ukraine military dismantled the hydrogen tank of a Toyota Mirai hydrogen energy car worth 748,000 yuan, filled it with hydrogen and made a bomb, and successfully detonated, destroying a factory in Russia, which is equivalent to more than 350 pounds of TNT. This incident not only embarrassed Toyota, after all, Toyota has invested in hydrogen energy vehicles for more than a decade; After all, at the just-concluded Paris Olympics, this Toyota hydrogen energy vehicle still appeared on the global stage as a sponsor. At the same time, it has also raised serious questions about the safety of hydrogen energy vehicles around the world.
Figure: The Ukraine military used a scrapped Toyota Mirai hydrogen energy car to blow up a factory in Russia
Technical details and safety hazards
Properties of hydrogen:
Hydrogen is an extremely flammable and explosive gas with a large diffusion coefficient, a wide explosion limit and a low ignition temperature. Once hydrogen leaks, it is easy to form an explosive mixture in the air, which can immediately cause an explosion when it encounters sparks or high temperatures. Therefore, the safety of hydrogen energy vehicles has always been the focus of the industry. After all, a lithium battery car fire can cause a carload of people to suffer; But a hydrogen car fire could cause a few neighbors!
Technical features of Toyota Mirai:
Toyota's Mirai is the world's first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, and it has been attracting attention since its launch in 2014. It is equipped with an advanced hydrogen fuel cell system, which has excellent performance with a fast charging of three minutes and a range of 600 kilometers (under NEDC mode). However, even so, Mirai could not completely solve the problem of flammability and explosiveness of hydrogen.
Real Cases and Lessons:
The Ukraine incident is not an isolated case. In recent years, there have been a number of accidents around the world in which hydrogen energy vehicles or hydrogen storage facilities have exploded. For example, in 2019, an explosion at a hydrogen refueling station in Norway immediately announced that Toyota would suspend the sale of hydrogen fuel models in Norway; In the same year, a hydrogen storage tank explosion occurred in Korea, resulting in many casualties. These incidents further confirm the vulnerability of hydrogen vehicles in terms of safety.
Market Status and Prospects
Market Status:
At present, hydrogen energy vehicles are still in their infancy in the world, and the market penetration is low. This is mainly affected by the low penetration of hydrogen filling stations, the stability of hydrogen fuel cell systems to be improved, and the high cost of hydrogen production, transportation, and power generation. In the case of the Toyota Mirai, despite its excellent performance, sales are still limited worldwide.
Looking Ahead:
Despite many challenges, hydrogen energy vehicles, as one of the important development directions of new energy vehicles, still have certain market potential. With the increasing awareness of environmental protection and the rapid development of new energy vehicle technology, hydrogen energy vehicles are expected to usher in a broader market prospect in the future. However, in order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to first solve the cost of hydrogen production, transportation, and power generation, and strengthen the safety research and development of hydrogen energy vehicles.
Expert views and interviews
Akio Toyoda's persistence and reflection:
As the head of Toyota, Akio Toyoda has always had high hopes for hydrogen energy vehicles. He has repeatedly declared in public that "trams are just a transition, and hydrogen cars are the future". However, this incident undoubtedly had a huge impact on Akio Toyoda's beliefs. Some experts pointed out that Toyota's investment in the field of hydrogen energy vehicles is huge, but in the face of real market challenges and technical safety hazards, Toyota needs to re-examine its strategic direction.
Diverse voices in the industry:
Unlike Toyota's insistence, some industry experts are cautious about the prospect of hydrogen vehicles. They believe that although hydrogen vehicles have the advantages of environmental protection and high efficiency, their high cost and intractable safety hazards will become a major obstacle to their popularization. In contrast, pure electric vehicles are relatively mature in terms of technology and market, and are more likely to become the mainstream direction of new energy vehicles.
In-depth analysis and commentary
Toyota's embarrassment and reflection:
This incident is undoubtedly a huge embarrassment for Toyota. As a global leader in hydrogen vehicles, Toyota has been committed to promoting the popularization and development of hydrogen vehicles. However, reality has given Toyota a resounding slap in the face. In the face of real-world challenges in the market and safety hazards in technology, Toyota needs to re-examine its strategic direction and strengthen its research and development in the safety of hydrogen vehicles.
The embarrassment and challenges of hydrogen energy vehicles:
As one of the important development directions of new energy vehicles, hydrogen energy vehicles have been attracting much attention. However, this incident has put hydrogen energy vehicles in an embarrassing situation. On the one hand, hydrogen energy vehicles have the advantages of environmental protection and high efficiency; On the other hand, its high cost and intractable security risks make the market shy away from it. Therefore, if hydrogen vehicles are to be popularized and developed in the future, these challenges must first be addressed.
Future development direction and suggestions:
In view of the challenges and embarrassing situations faced by hydrogen energy vehicles, the editor of China Exportsemi put forward the following ideas:
Strengthen technology research and development: Increase R&D investment in the safety of hydrogen energy vehicles to improve the stability and durability of hydrogen fuel cell systems.
Cost reduction: Reduce the cost of hydrogen production, transportation, power generation and other links through technological innovation and large-scale production.
Improve infrastructure: Accelerate the construction and popularization of hydrogen refueling stations, and improve the convenience of hydrogen energy vehicles.
Policy support: The government should introduce more supportive policies to encourage enterprises to increase R&D and investment in hydrogen energy vehicles.
Epilogue
The incident of Toyota's detonation not only embarrassed Toyota, but also put hydrogen energy vehicles in an embarrassing situation. However, this does not mean that there is no future for hydrogen vehicles. On the contrary, with the continuous advancement of technology and the continuous maturity of the market, hydrogen energy vehicles are still expected to achieve popularity and development in the future. But before we can do so, we must face up to the challenges and embarrassments they face and take appropriate measures to address them.
