Toyota rolling out fuel-cell vehicle in S.F.

Toyota's hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle includes air vents, which help to cool fuel cells. Toyota's hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle includes air vents, which help to cool fuel cells. Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Lea Suzuki, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Toyota rolling out fuel-cell vehicle in S.F. 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

Toyota's fuel-cell sedan gets its North American premiere this week in San Francisco at an annual meeting of the American Chemical Society. The car, due to hit the California market next year, runs on hydrogen and produces no exhaust other than water vapor. Toyota is one of several big automakers rolling out fuel-cell vehicles, saying they have advantages over electric cars because they can refuel in as little as three minutes - provided the driver has access to a hydrogen fueling station - and can drive hundreds of miles on a tank. Toyota says the car has a range of about 300 miles per tank. Although Toyota's fuel-cell sedan is expected to cost about $68,500 when it goes on sale in Japan next spring, Toyota has not yet set its American price. The company also has not revealed the car's name, for now referring to it as the FCV.

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