Toyota Motor intends to deploy regenerative fuel cell technology to power a human lunar rover, the executives disclosed on Friday.
They hinted at the possibility of exploiting the water ice on the moon as a source of energy in the future.
Toyota and Japan’s space agency have been working together to create the Lunar Cruiser, a human lunar rover that they intend to send to the moon in 2029.
“In order to conduct long-term and stable research on the surface of the moon, we are aiming to source various items on site over a long period,” Ken Yamashita, head of lunar exploration projects at Toyota said.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency stated in presentation materials on Friday that NASA anticipates Japan to contribute to the Artemis programme with a lunar rover with a target launch date of 2029.
A fuel cell car employs an electric motor similar to an electric car, but it gets its energy from a fuel stack where electricity is made by splitting hydrogen using a catalyst.
According to Toyota, its technology will use solar energy and water to electrolyze hydrogen and oxygen during the day and fuel cells to generate power at night.
Yamashita stated that Toyota does not anticipate being able to mine or produce water suitable for fuel cells from the moon’s ice water on its own, instead relying on other businesses or potential future advances.
