The Toyota Highlander fuel cell car has travelled 350 miles on a single tank - matching the single-tank range of most gasoline-powered cars and suggesting that the mass market viability of the technology is getting closer.

Katsuhiko Hirose and the development team from Toyota's fuel cell system engineering and development division drove Toyota's car from Osaka to Tokyo without stopping, the New York Times reports.

Mr Hirose, General Manager at the firm's fuel cell unit, said: "We've got the systems engineering solved. This is close to a commercial vehicle."

However, despite the feat, according to Taiyo Kawai, a fuel cell engineer at Toyota, a number of challenges must be faced to bring fuel cell powered cars into the mass market.

Among these are improving durability and power density, Mr Kawai said, although the largest barrier remains cutting the cost of the vehicles.

Mr Kawai said this might be achieved by cutting the amount of platinum that is used in the manufacture of fuel cells and improving production efficiency.

Source:

Fuel Cell Hurdle: Only the Price Tag, 04/11/07
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/automobiles/04CELL.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

2008 Toyota Highlander 4WD V6 Limited Road Test, 04/11/07
http://car-reviews.automobile.com/Toyota/review/2008-toyota-highlander-4wd-v6-limited-road-test/5256/

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