燃料電池車競争 低価格実現が普及のカギ握る

The Yomiuri Shimbun July 18, 2013
Developing budget fuel cell cars is a key task for automakers
燃料電池車競争　低価格実現が普及のカギ握る（7月17日付・読売社説）

The race among carmakers to develop vehicles powered by fuel cells is heating up. With no direct carbon dioxide emissions, electric automobiles with fuel cells are envisioned as the preeminent next-generation eco-car.
　二酸化炭素（ＣＯ２）を排出せず、次世代エコカーの本命とも言われる「燃料電池車」の開発競争が白熱してきた。

When will the world’s major automakers be able to reduce the price of such a vehicle through mass production? Drivers around the world are keenly watching to see which carmaker will be the first to achieve an affordable fuel cell car.
　日米欧の主要メーカーが、いつ量産化による低価格を実現できるか。世界のユーザーが注目する先陣争いだ。

Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Co. have agreed to jointly develop a fuel cell-powered vehicle. The Japanese and U.S. carmakers hope technical cooperation in such fields as developing the basic system for a fuel cell car will result in a jointly devised system fit for practical use as early as 2020.
　ホンダと米ゼネラル・モーターズ（ＧＭ）が燃料電池車を共同開発することで合意した。基幹システム開発などで技術協力し、２０２０年ごろの実用化をめざす。

Sharing the burden

The Honda-GM tie-up marks a change in their respective strategies for developing fuel cell electric vehicles. The two corporations have been separately working to develop such automobiles in recent years. Their alliance can be seen as an attempt to reduce the otherwise massive financial burden of developing fuel cell cars, while also completing the development project in a shorter period.
　燃料電池車を独自開発してきた両社にとっては方針転換である。巨額の開発費負担を抑え、開発期間を短縮させる狙いと言える。

The motive behind their decision is a desire not to fall behind alliances formed by their rivals in developing fuel cell vehicles.
　両社に決断を促したのは、燃料電池車の開発を巡るライバル企業の合従連衡の動きだ。

Toyota Motor Corp. and BMW AG have signed an accord on joint development. Nissan Motor Co. has also said it will carry out a similar project with Renault SA, Daimler AG and Ford Motor Co. The Toyota-BMW tie-up aims at mass production in 2020, while the latter group hopes to reach a similar goal in 2017.
　トヨタ自動車と独ＢＭＷが共同開発で合意した。日産自動車も仏ルノー、独ダイムラー、米フォード・モーターとの共同開発を決めた。トヨタ・ＢＭＷは２０年、日産勢も１７年の量産化が目標だ。

All this means the development race will be bitterly fought by carmakers around the world, including South Korean and Chinese competitors and other corporations unrelated to the Japanese, U.S. and European manufacturers.
　日米欧３陣営以外の企業や、韓国、中国メーカーなども含めて、しのぎを削ることになる。

The fuel cell vehicle is powered by a motor run by electricity generated through a hydrogen-oxygen reaction. It is comparable to an electric vehicle (EV) in that neither automobile emits carbon dioxide.
　燃料電池車は、水素と酸素を反応させて電気を起こし、モーターを回して走行する仕組みだ。電気自動車（ＥＶ）と同じく、走行中にＣＯ２を出さない。

Another advantage the fuel cell car offers is mileage. A hydrogen refill for a fuel cell vehicle enables a 500-kilometer drive, nearly twice the range of an EV car. Moreover, refueling takes only three minutes.
　しかも、１回の水素の充填(じゅうてん)で走れる距離が約５００キロ・メートルとＥＶのほぼ２倍で、充填時間もわずか３分で済むという利点がある。

About 10 years ago, fuel cell cars were priced at a hefty 100 million yen per unit. Although prices have fallen sharply, a fuel cell vehicle still carries a price tag of about 10 million yen today.
　約１０年前に１台１億円だった価格は大幅に値下がりしたが、まだ約１０００万円と高い。

Toyota and Honda are seeking to lower the price to 5 million yen or so. An important challenge facing each car manufacturer is reducing the price through technical innovation. This task also must be complemented by efforts to ensure the safety of such vehicles.
トヨタ、ホンダの目標は５００万円程度だ。各社の技術革新による価格引き下げが課題になる。安全性の確保も求められよう。

Another key task is to expedite efforts to build more hydrogen stations. Companies in the oil and other industries are planning to set up 100 stations nationwide by the end of 2015. However, that would be too few to encourage the spread of fuel cell car use.
　水素ステーションの整備も急がねばならない。石油など関係業界は、１５年までに全国で１００か所を整備する計画だが、普及に弾みをつけるには、これでは不十分ではないか。

Infrastructure needed

The government’s growth strategy includes a plan to reconsider regulations with regard to the installation of hydrogen stations. It is essential for the government to further support the efforts of related businesses to spread such facilities.
　政府は、水素ステーション整備に関する規制の見直しを成長戦略に盛り込んだ。政府のさらなる後押しが必要である。

As circumstances stand today, hybrid vehicles (HVs) have become a common choice for ecologically friendly vehicles. The race to develop hybrid cars, which combine an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, has been led by Toyota and Honda. The situation contrasts with the slow progress in the spread of EVs, partly due to the short distance covered by such automobiles for each recharge.
　エコカーを巡っては、トヨタとホンダが先行した、電気モーターとガソリンエンジンで走るハイブリッド車（ＨＶ）が普及している。一方、ＥＶは走行距離の短さなどから伸び悩んでいる。

We hope Japanese automakers will strive to improve the performance of HVs and EVs while at the same time stepping up efforts to develop fuel cell vehicles, a move that will provide consumers with more choices for an eco-car purchase. If they can lead the development race, it would do much to shore up Japan’s industrial competitiveness in the global market.
　日本各社は、ＨＶとＥＶの性能向上を目指すとともに、燃料電池車の開発を急ぎ、エコカーの選択肢を増やしてもらいたい。開発を主導できれば、日本の産業競争力の強化にもつながるだろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 17, 2013)
（2013年7月17日01時19分  読売新聞）