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Toyota Shows Off Fuel Cell Bike in Paris; Freezer on Front Wheel Holds Ice Cream for Spectators

Courtesy of Toyota Motor Corp.
A freezer for ice cream is fitted on the front wheel of a fuel-cell bike developed by Toyota Motor Corp.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:48 JST, July 26, 2024

Toyota Motor Corp. will distribute ice cream chilled with hydrogen power to spectators of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, the company revealed Thursday.

Toyota will conduct a demonstration near some venues for the Games: a fuel-cell bike that generates electricity with hydrogen will be on display with a freezer full of ice cream attached to its front wheel. Through this experiment, the company will show off its decarbonization technology to the world.

Filling containers with high-pressure hydrogen requires special qualifications, which is one of the obstacles to this technology spreading widely. Toyota has made it easy to fill up the bike’s fuel cell by putting the hydrogen into a portable, cylinder-shaped cartridge that is 58 centimeters long. The power generated by the hydrogen will power both the bicycle and the freezer. Toyota is planning to continue with the experiment until early September, when the Paris Paralympic Games will close.

In addition, Toyota is also offering 500 of its Mirai fuel-cell vehicles and 1,000 electric vehicles to Games organizers and staff. After the Games, the fuel-cell vehicles are to be used as taxis there, according to the carmaker.