Have you been looking to develop your own hydrogen fuel cell car but found the royalties kept it from being financially viable? Then the news you've been waiting for has arrived, with Toyota announcing it will be making approximately 5,680 of its fuel cell patents available royalty-free.
Toyota hopes the move will help to fuel development of the technology, which was unveiled via its FCV concept.
Encouraging the adoption of fuel cell tech has proved tricky for the Japanese motoring giant, and according to Toyota president Akio Toyoda: "One car company alone cannot create a hydrogen society. It needs to be a worldwide effort."
Man in the Mirai
The move follows a similar decision in June when Tesla announced it would not to sue those who use their patents in an effort to "accelerate the advent of sustainable transport."
Toyota will be launching a new fuel cell sedan in the US and Europe later this year. Called the Mirai, it will be priced at $57,500 in the US and €66,000 in Europe.
Toyota only projects Mirai sales of 700 units worldwide this year – hardly enough to save the planet – but it expects global production to reach tens of thousands in the decade following 2020.
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