Bob Carter, Toyota’s Senior Vice President for Automotive Operations, stated in a recent speech to the Automotive News World Congress that hydrogen tanks are bulletproof when it comes to small caliber weapons. And the tanks are even safe when it comes to larger caliber bullets.
According to Carter, “They’re safe. In testing, we fired small-caliber bullets at the hydrogen tank and they just bounced off it. It took a 50-caliber armor-piercing bullet to penetrate the shell. And, even then, it just left a hole and the hydrogen simply leaked out. This is no Hindenburg.
“They’re also viable in real-life conditions. We’ve battle-tested our fuel cell vehicle in the deep freeze of Yellowknife, Canada, the stifling heat of Death Valley, the high altitude of the Rocky Mountains, even the steep hills of San Francisco.”
So, for the naysayers, opponents and the uninformed, it’s time to stop comparing hydrogen cars to the Hindenburg. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are safe, viable and will be covering the map in a very short time.