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Toyota has been developing fuel cell hybrid vehicles (FCHV) since 1992 and is currently working to resolve issues that remain for commercialization. This research focused on one of the main issues for fuel cells (FC), namely water content of the electrolyte membrane, to develop a FC water content control system based on AC impedance measurement. Adopting this control system in the FCHV resolved the issue of reduced efficiency caused by FC membrane dry-out, and makes it possible to start up the FCHV in temperatures down to -30°C by performing appropriate water content control for freezing environments.

Since 1992, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has been working on the development of fuel cell system technology. TMC is designing principal components in-house, including fuel cell stacks, high-pressure hydrogen storage tank systems, and hybrid systems. TMC developed the '02 model TOYOTA FCHV, the world-first market-ready fuel cell vehicle, and started limited lease of the vehicles in 2002. In 2005, TMC developed a new model of TOYOTA FCHV which obtained vehicle type certification in Japan, and is currently available for leasing. TMC has improved the cruising range and cold start/drive capability of the TOYOTA FCHV, and conducted public road tests to evaluate the performance. The improved TOYOTA FCHV successfully traveled from Osaka to Tokyo (approximately 560km, 350 miles) on a single fueling of hydrogen. In addition, the cold weather tests carried out in Hokkaido and North America have verified its starting/driving capability at subfreezing temperatures including -37°C.