The first time was in 2004 when the-then Canterbury University professor of engineering had a collaboration with the National Fuel Cell Research Centre in Los Angeles. Toyota had two small hydrogen cars on show that attracted bucket loads of media attention.

“I wondered, why would Toyota have the crew and go to the effort to make these little cars that they don’t intend to build a factory, mass produce and sell and service - which is their actual business?” Krumdieck recalls.

Don’t question the car

“The answer was straight forward,” she says. “Don’t question the car.”

“Toyota is willing to do anything so that governments, citizens, researchers… never question the car.

"They found that the marketing they could milk out of making a few hundred, or now a few thousand hydrogen cars totally stopped examination of policies or thoughts about life beyond cars,” Krumdieck says.

The second time, was of course, yesterday when prime minister Jacinda Ardern and the head of Toyota NZ Neeraj Lala announced a hydrogen-powered car sharing scheme for Auckland at a press conference in Japan.

“The gospels, chapter and verse,” was Krumdieck’s response from her home in the Orkney Islands where she holds a chair in sustainable energy transition engineering at the Herriot-Watt University.

“Do not question that we all need, must have, can’t change cars. Worried about emissions? Don’t worry. See the hydrogen car? These iconic NZ companies think it is a good idea. So… just go buy a ute and tear up the road.”

That reference to “iconic NZ companies” is straight from Toyota’s press release which boasts of teaming up with eight “iconic” Auckland-based companies: The Warehouse, Air New Zealand, Saatchi & Saatchi, TVNZ, Beca, Westpac NZ, Spark and Z Energy.

Hydrogen powered-vehicles one way to reduce emissions: Ardern

Jacinda Ardern said in a statement, released yesterday, that “hydrogen powered-vehicles are one way we can reduce the emissions of our car fleet.”

But Krumdieck, and others, have long questioned whether hydrogen makes environmental sense as an alternative transport fuel – particularly for cars with so-called green hydrogen requiring more electricity to create than it delivers to a vehicle’s engine.

The government it seems isn’t listening to those concerns.

“New Zealand’s hydrogen-powered fleet will only grow, and hydrogen vehicles of all sizes need infrastructure to support them. I’m proud my Government is already supporting the roll-out of a series of refuelling stations to be used by heavy freight hydrogen trucks through $20 million from the Covid-19 Response and Recovery fund,” Ardern said.

“These hydrogen-refuelling stations will begin to appear in the North Island later this year, built by New Zealand company Hiringa, together with Japanese partner Mitsui & Co.

“Hydrogen infrastructure is also being developed in New Zealand by Japan’s Obayashi Corporation, which in partnership with Tuaropaki Trust opened New Zealand’s first-ever green hydrogen power plant. Obayashi’s investment in New Zealand’s hydrogen sector continues to grow through a partnership with Ports of Auckland to develop a green hydrogen production facility and refuelling infrastructure,” she said.

Neeraj Lala said Toyota was looking to trial the applications of hydrogen technology outside of the automotive sector.
 
“Hydrogen fuel cell technology is another step in the journey to a zero-emissions transport eco-system. The commercial application of this technology is vast and Toyota has the means to explore new technologies,” he said.

 
“These kiwi companies have joined together to demonstrate the commercial possibilities of hydrogen technology in a real-world car-sharing trial. Toyota and our Hydrogen Project members are committed to a carbon-neutral future.”
 
Mr Lala said  as hydrogen infrastructure was still in its infancy in New Zealand, the trial hydrogen car sharing scheme was established as a catalyst for a burgeoning hydrogen export market.

Toyota sees the long-term use of hydrogen in broader applications than the automotive industry.
 
“We are striving to share technologies and systems as it is our belief that environmental technologies should not be monopolised, while helping to contribute to the reduction of C02 emissions through becoming a technology systems supplier.”

Professor Susan Krumdieck remains unconvinced. “I would be actually excited if I saw Toyota announcing it will stop making it’s gas guzzlers and is starting to ramp down how many cars it manufactures, has opened up a battery recycling system, and is moving into new areas like electric bikes. “