Toyota to ramp up hydrogen fuel cell vehicle sales

Toyota Motor Corp on Thursday said it plans to set up a facility to mass manufacture hydrogen fuel cell stacks, a key component of fuel cell vehicles, as it seeks to ramp up production of hydrogen-powered cars and expand their usage as a zero-emission alternative to gasoline vehicles.

The new unit will come up on the grounds of its Honsha plant in Toyota City near the automaker's global headquarters, the company said in a statement. It is also constructing a dedicated line at the nearby Shimoyama plant to produce tanks for storing high-pressure hydrogen gas inside vehicles.

Toyota declined to give details about their latest investment in this technology, but said mass production of components will begin around 2020, enabling the company to meet its target for global annual fuel cell vehicle sales of more than 30,000 units, including passenger cars and buses.