PARIS - French industrial gases company Air Liquide (IW 1000/223) said Monday it was teaming up with a Toyota subsidiary to build a network of filling stations for fuel-cell electric vehicles in Japan.
With fuel-cell vehicles expected to reach the consumer market in 2015, Air Liquide said it and Toyota Tsusho will create a new company to build 100 filling stations in and along major highways between four major Japanese cities within two years.
Fuel cells generate electricity from the conversion of hydrogen into water, thus producing no pollution, but a network of service stations with the gas must be created.
Two hydrogen filling stations are expected to be completed next year in the Japanese capital, with the network of stations in and between Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka ready the following year, Air Liquide said in a statement.
Air Liquide handles production, storage and distribution of hydrogen, and said it has already built more than 60 hydrogen filling stations for fuel cell vehicles throughout the world.
Toyota Tsusho handles the energy-related business of the Toyota Group, which includes the carmaker.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2013
