Toyota and its subsidiary, Woven Planet have developed a working prototype of its portable H₂ cartridge. This cartridge design will facilitate the everyday transport and supply of H₂ energy to power a broad range of daily life applications in and outside of the home. Toyota and Woven Planet will conduct proof of concept trials in various places, including Woven City, a human-centered smart city of the future currently being constructed in Susono City, Shizuoka Prefecture.

Toyota and Woven Planet are studying several viable pathways to carbon neutrality and consider H₂ to be a promising solution. H₂ has significant advantages. Zero CO₂ is emitted when H₂ is used. Furthermore, when H₂ is produced using renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass, CO₂ emissions are minimized during the production process as well. H₂ can be used to generate electricity in fuel cell systems and can also be used as a combustion fuel.

Together with ENEOS Corporation, Toyota and Woven Planet are working to build a comprehensive H₂-based supply chain aimed at expediting and simplifying production, transport, and daily usage. These trials will focus on meeting the energy needs of Woven City residents and those living in its surrounding communities.

Benefits of using H₂ cartridges

• Portable, affordable, and convenient energy that makes it possible to bring H2 to where people live, work, and play without the use of pipes
• Prototype dimensions: 400mm (16") in length x 180mm (7") in diameter
• Target weight: 5 kg (11lbs)
• Swappable for easy replacement and quick recharging
• Volume flexibility allows for a broad variety of daily use applications
• Small-scale infrastructure can meet energy needs in remote and non-electrified areas and be swiftly dispatched in the case of a disaster

Next steps for the H₂ cartridge

Today most H₂ is generated from fossil fuels and used for industrial purposes such as fertilizer production and petroleum refining. To use H₂ as an energy source in our homes and daily life, the technology must meet different safety standards and be adjusted to new environments. In the future, we expect H₂ will be generated with very low carbon emissions and used in a wider variety of applications. The Japanese government is working on a range of studies to promote the safe early adoption of H₂, and Toyota and its business partners are excited to offer cooperation and support.

Our goal is to help H₂ become commonplace by making this clean form of energy safe, convenient, and affordable. By establishing the underlying supply chain, we hope to facilitate the flow of a larger volume of H₂ and fuel more applications. Woven City will explore and test an array of energy applications using H₂ cartridges including mobility, household applications, and many future possibilities we have yet to imagine. Together with inventors and those living within and around Woven City, we will continue to advance mobility over time by constantly developing more practical applications for H₂ cartridges. In future Woven City demonstrations, we will continue to improve the H₂ cartridge itself, making it increasingly easy to use and improving the energy density.