Despite efforts being made in order to promote hydrogen, with the Mirai fuel cell car, Toyota didn’t abandon research on batteries. And better than this, the japanese car maker announced a new breakthrough, thanks to R&D made on… hydrogen storage.

Rana Mohtadi, a chemical engineer from the Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA), was indeed working on hydrogen storage materials and their application to fuel cell technology. When she heard her fellow researchers discussing the challenges of developing an electrolyte for a practical magnesium battery, Mohtadi realized her hydrogen storage material might just solve the longstanding problem. With further experimentation and the help of fellow researchers, her theory proved correct.

Thanks to a magnesium-friendly electrolyte, magnesium batteries may soon open the doors for smaller, longer-lasting batteries for everything from cars to cell phones. Magnesium metal is much safer and more energy-dense alternative to current lithium battery technology.

However, this breakthrough technology is not a threat for fuel cell technology. While it’s easy to get caught up in the potential of a dramatically improved battery, it could take 20 years of research and development before magnesium batteries reach the consumer market.

To stay up to date with the latest hydrogen-related news and events in Japan click here

Are you a LinkedIn user who would like to follow the latest hydrogen news on a more regular basis? Then our LinkedIn weekly newsletter may be what you’re looking for. You can subscribe to it here. 

Do you want to learn more about Toyota? Then our latest articles about the company should interest you. You can access all our articles written about Toyota here.