Toyota was the first manufacturer to invest heavily in hydrogen fuel cell technology, or fuel cells, whose objective is to produce on board the energy necessary to feed the electric motor that moves the vehicle. Mirai was the best-selling model for fuel cellalbeit in small quantities, but the Japanese giant is convinced that, after the step taken with the second generation of fuel cellsIn terms of increasing efficiency and reducing costs, the technology is moving in the right direction, although it still has to evolve.
Now, Toyota is announcing a partnership with Northwestern University in Northwestern, Illinois, with the goal of making the fuel cells more efficient, that is, to produce more energy from the same amount of hydrogen, in order to maximize autonomy. The partnership between the Japanese brand and the American institution aims to take advantage of the university’s “data factory”.
This “data factory” claims to be a machine equipped with an algorithm capable of “learning and synthesizing” information at incredible speeds. The team that will train with technicians from Toyota and the university believes that by accessing the team’s mega-memory, More inorganic material will be revealed than scientists have ever identified and cataloged so far.
Instead of the usual trial and error method of combining materials, the “data factory” will draw on data collected in mega-memory, anticipating problems and infeasible solutions, focusing exclusively on materials that can be compatible. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), the “data factory” algorithm can discover solutions never considered before and arrive at a positive solution much faster.
Director of the International Nanotechnology Institute Chad Mirkin and George B. Rathmann, professor of chemistry at Northwestern University, said “this groundbreaking research marked a turning point in the way we discover and develop new materials.” And both were quite optimistic about the partnership with Toyota: “Together we can discover materials that can really help in the transition to cleaner forms of energy.”
In order to make your fuel cells more efficient, Toyota is looking for catalysts to optimize fuel cells. The Japanese believe that this way of analyzing known materials can not only speed up this search, but that the “data factory” will allow numerous applications in other technologies and sectors.
Source: Observadora
