Toyota trials hydrogen-powered vehicle on public roads in Australia

Toyota Motor Corp. said Saturday it is conducting trials of a vehicle powered by a hydrogen engine in Australia, making it the Japanese automaker's first such test of the environmentally friendly car on public roads toward its commercial use. In the trial from late October through January, a specially modified van from Toyota's HiAce series is being used by local construction and security firms to confirm the vehicle's operability and durability on roads in the suburbs of Melbourne. The move came as Toyota seeks to popularize hydrogen as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. It put a liquid h...