Honda, Nissan, Toyota Join Forces To Create Hydrogen Network In Japan, But What Does That Mean?

Hydrogen station in Amagasaki City, Japan

by Richard Read of www.seekingalpha.com
Honda (NYSE:HMC), Nissan (OTCPK:NSANY), and Toyota (NYSE:TM) have announced plans to pool their resources and develop Japan's hydrogen infrastructure, which will serve the automakers' coming fleets of fuel-cell vehicles. Will the three succeed? And, if so, will they be able to translate their success to other countries like the U.S.?

BACKGROUND

Honda and Toyota made headlines last year when they both announced plans to focus less energy on battery-electric cars and instead turn their attention to hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. In May, Toyota went so far as to end its partnership with electric car company Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) before unveiling the hydrogen-powered Mirai sedan in November.
But of course, creating demand for fuel-cell cars isn't just a matter of creating the cars themselves. Automakers have to make owning those cars convenient for motorists, too. (They also have to make the cars affordable, but that's a topic for another day.)
Fortunately, the Japanese government is hot for fuel cells at the moment. Last summer, it unveiled something called the "Strategic Road Map for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells," which includes plans to create a hydrogen infrastructure to power fuel-cell vehicles.

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