Toyota showcased its hydrogen cell-powered cars at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show. Although the cars will arrive in the market only next year the Japanese manufacturer is busy putting this technology to good use. Toyota has exploited this hydrogen fuel cell technology to power up its headquarters in Los Angeles.

A 1.11 megawatt stationary fuel cell has been installed at the Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) headquarters near Los Angeles to generate electricity and also to reduce utility bills. The fuel cell structure, supplies about half the power needed by the six buildings on site during the summer when demand is at its peak.

The cell uses Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) technology which is the same basic technology set to feature in Toyota’s forthcoming production car.

Mark Yamamuchi, who manages the site's sustainable strategy programme, said, “Most other fuel cell technologies need to run continuously to generate baseload power. This project is unique in that we are leveraging the characteristics of the PEM technology to load-follow.”

The largest installation of its kind in the world, Toyota claims this first application of a fuel cell as a stationary power generation produces enough power on an average to meet the needs of 765 average American homes.