Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), Nissan Motor Company, Ltd., Honda Motor Company, Ltd., JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, Idemitsu Kosan Company, Ltd., Iwatani Corporation, Osaka Gas Company, Ltd., Cosmo Oil Company, Ltd., Saibu Gas Company, Ltd., Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K., Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, Tokyo Gas Company, Ltd. and Toho Gas, Company, Ltd. jointly announced the following details regarding the launch of mass-produced fuel-cell vehicles (FCVs) – one of a number of potential next-generation vehicles – in the Japanese market in 2015 and the development of the hydrogen supply infrastructure necessary for the successful adoption of the vehicles.
As development of fuel-cell systems progresses, Japanese automakers are continuing to drastically reduce the cost of manufacturing such systems and are aiming to launch FCVs in the Japanese market – mainly in the country’s four major metropolitan areas – in 2015. The automobile industry hopes to popularize the use of FCVs after their initial introduction as a way of tackling energy and environmental issues.