Toyota has previewed another of its Tokyo Motor Show concepts with this unusual fuel-cell vehicle, called the Fine-Comfort Ride.
The Fine-Comfort Ride is a long hatchback - at 4,830mm, it's around 30cm longer than a Prius, although it's marginally shorter than Toyota's existing production fuel-cell car, the Mirai. The concept's wheelbase is significantly longer than the Mirai's, though; in fact, at 3,450mm, it's almost 30cm longer than the gap between the axles on a stretched Mercedes S-Class. Toyota's creation is wider than the limo too, at just under two metres.
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These odd proportions are made possible by the Fine-Comfort Ride's powertrain - a further development of Toyota's hydrogen fuel cell technology. This power source, and in-wheel electric motors, allow the wheels to be placed right at the corners of the vehicle.
This, in turn, frees up considerable cabin space - enough, Toyota claims, for the car to be a six-seater. The front two rows consist of individual seats that can be rotated to face each other for conversation, or to make it easier for passengers to get in and out. The final two seats are a sofa-like bench that's tucked in just before the near-vertical rear glass area; this set-up allows the middle row occupants to recline their seats if there's nobody sitting behind them, creating an aircraft-style 'sleeper seat'.
The cabin makes extensive use of touch screens, as well as what would appear to be projection technology on the side glass.
As with the Mirai and other hydrogen fuel cells, the Fine-Comfort Ride can be refuelled in around three minutes - about the same as a conventionally powered vehicle. Toyota claims that under a Japanese test cycle, the concept can travel for up to 620 miles on a single tank.
There are no immediate plans to put the Fine-Comfort Ride into production - but it shows that Toyota is continuing to make progress in packaging its fuel cell 'stack' in various platforms, and positioning the complex hydrogen fuel tank cleverly enough to allow potential packaging benefits. A Toyota spokesperson said that the show car "demonstrates our ongoing dedication to fuel cell vehicle development".
Could you see yourself driving the Toyota Fine-Comfort Ride concept in the future? Tell us what you think below...
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