Overall Japan can be viewed is a strong believer in the hydrogen trend and is aiming to further support the expansion of such green vehicles as a way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while and at the same time diversify energy sources. Currently, there are around 400 fuel-cell vehicles and about 80 hydrogen stations either operating or soon to operate in Japan according to a report by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. The Japanese government has a mid-term goal of having 40,000 hydrogen-powered cars on its roads by the end of the decade and its long-term strategy has a target of 800,000 vehicles on the road by 2030. To back up such an expansion the country knows it will have to ramp up the pace at which it builds refueling stations, plans are in the works to increase the number of hydrogen stations to 160 by the time the fiscal year ends in March 2021 and to double them again in the following five years.
Among the automakers which are trying to bring this technology closer to customers, Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are leading the efforts in fuel-cell development. Honda recently announced the start of sales in Japan for its new 750 km range Clarity Fuel Cell which has an entry price tag of $67,445 and has a goal to sell around 200 units this year. They expect these vehicles will be mainly leased to businesses and local governments. Honda is also in talks with General Motors over how to manufacture and procure parts for hydrogen fuel cell stacks as part of their technology development partnership. It should be noted all major car manufacturers are hard at work looking into this technology.
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