Toyota feels the cartridges can also be used as an electricity source to power a home or for cooking.
Toyota has developed a portable hydrogen cartridge concept, which aims to offer swappable power for the brand's next-generation hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (PHEVs).
The idea of a portable hydrogen cartridge was originally a project of Toyota's mobility technology subsidiary, 'Woven'. The team even produced a working prototype of the cartridge back in 2022. However, the automaker is said to have developed the idea further in the past couple of years. The latest iteration of the cartridges is said to be lighter and easier to transport.
The hydrogen cartridge is said to be light and compact enough to be carried by hand and looks like an oversized AA battery. The cartridges, once implemented, would allow owners of fuel cell electric vehicles to simply swap out the cartridges when hydrogen levels run low, eliminating the need to stop and refuel at a station.
Being so compact and lightweight, Toyota feels the cartridges can also be used as an electricity source to power a home or for cooking. Toyota & Rinnai Corporation is exhibiting a stove at the Japan Mobility Bizweek later this month, which shows how, in emergency situations, the cartridge can be removed from the car and used to power household appliances.
The cartridges, although a concept at the moment, offer an alternative, affordable, and more convenient way to deliver hydrogen to users.