Tokyo Motor Show Preview: Daihatsu's FC凸DECK and Deca-Deca Concepts

What's in a name, you ask? Honestly, we don't know what "FC凸DECK" stands for, though we're guessing some of you bad boys and gals might have a cheeky smirk on their face as they look at the name on the screen now…

So, Daihatsu tells us that the concept mini truck is 3,395mm long, 1,475mm wide and 1,985mm tall, and that it draws its power from a fuel-cell system. If it looks familiar, it's probably because you remember Daihatsu's FC Sho Concept mini van from the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. Interestingly, the Japanese company has also developed a free standing power generator for the FC-Deck.

Joining the concept truck as well as the Kopen roadster studies that we showed you earlier today at Daihatsu's 2013 Tokyo Motor Show booth, is the Deca-Deca kei car van.

The 3,395mm long, 1,475mm wide and 1,850mm tall mini (we're guessing that the two concepts are based on the same platform), sports rear sliding doors on both sides of the car, and according to Daihatsu, it offers a variety of seating arrangements inside.

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This is Toyota's Production 2015 FCV-R Hydrogen Powered Sedan

Only a few weeks before Toyota yanks the sheets off the final version of its FCV-R hydrogen-powered Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show in late November, the Japanese carmaker released images of a camouflaged prototype of the production model.

The first comment we're going to make concerns the 2015 FCV-R's appearance, which even though covered under swirly wraps, is clearly more conservative in a Prius-meets-old-Corolla kind of fashion than the futuristic 2011 FCV-R development concept.

The FCV-R is scheduled to go on sale in select countries in 2015, with Toyota targeting annual sales of between 5,000 and 10,000 cars. The Japanese automaker hasn't announced final pricing yet, but Chris Hostetter, group vice president of strategic planning for Toyota USA, told reporters earlier this year that the car should cost between $50,000 and $100,000.

To reduce costs from the million-dollar mark several years ago, the FCV-R will utilize components from Toyota's parts bin, including a modified version of the Prius' Hybrid Synergy Drive system, in which a fuel cell and the conventional fuel tank with high-pressure hydrogen tanks replace the conventional petrol engine. The Prius also loans its electrical components and 21kW battery to store energy recovered by the regenerative braking system.

At last month's Frankfurt Motor Show, Toyota said that in recent tests, the FCV-R returned a maximum driving range of 420 miles (about 680 kilometers) with zero CO2, NOx or particulate matter emissions.

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Hyundai Creates Fuel Cell Farm Powered by Hydrogen-Fuelled iX35

Hyundai is pulling out all the stops to attract attention towards its hydrogen fuel-cell development effort, which it is showcasing with its iX35 crossover, the world’s first passenger vehicle to go into series production and use such tech.

As we previously revealed, they were working on a fuel-cell-supplied greenhouse where plants could grow, and now they have unveiled the contraption outside of London’s Design Museum.

The outdoor exhibit was only kept assembled for one day (Monday, October 21), and visitors had a chance to see how it works.

Based a bit on one of the Top Gear producers’ daring ideas, Jeremy Clarkon’s towing of a greenhouse on wheels behind a heavily-polluting Range Rover, the Fuel Cell Farm, as it’s known, is very straightforward yet innovative in its operation.

It adopts a new kind of farming solution, called aquaponics, “a combination of hydroponics (growing plants in water) and aquaculture (raising fish in tanks). The Fuel Cell Farm operates by taking the water emitted by the hydrogen-powered Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell and filtering this water into the fish tank. The aquaponics technology then harnesses minerals from the fish waste to grow the plants on the farm.”

The green crossover only has one role in all of it: “It powers and facilitates the functionality of the aquaponics farm, using clean emissions (only water) to fuel sustainable agriculture.” Moreover, choosing London as the venue to display the Fuel Cell Farm was not accidental; the English capital already uses hydrogen fuel-cell buses on commuter lines, and has two hydrogen fueling stations currently active (only one is accessible to the public, though).

By Andrei Nedelea

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Hyundai to Reveal Fully-Functioning Fuel Cell Farm Demonstration Next Week in London

Hyundai’s commitment to fuel-cell technology is clear, and in fact, the Korean manufacturer is actually the world’s first automaker to put a vehicle powered by such technology into series production.

Now, they are announcing the unveiling of “a unique piece of design theatre that aims to educate people about the real-life benefits of hydrogen fuel cell technology,” that is to be housed at the Design Museum, in London as of October 21.

It’s basically a hydroponic farm that most likely uses the waste water created by the ix35’s fuel cell system (the only byproduct) to grow the plants. The teaser posted below shows part of its construction process, which benefitted from the participation of London-based sustainability designers Something & Son and the Greater London Authority.

It sounds like an interesting concept, and reminds us a bit of Jeremy Clarkson’s attempt to two a greenhouse behind a Range Rover to filter its emissions through photosynthesis.

Now that they've sorted this out, Hyundai can concentrate on making the technology cheaper and more feasible for series production - it's what EVs are waiting for.

By Andrei Nedelea

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