Toyota will be one of the first automakers to launch a hydrogen fuel powered car. The Japanese car company is slating a 2015 release for their Toyota Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV). The FCV will launch in California, Japan and Germany.

The fuel cells the FCV uses are very similar to Toyota’s hybrid synergy drive systems. The gasoline engine is replaced with a fuel cell stack. Hydrogen combines with oxygen inside of the fuel cell stack. The energy the combination produces is the electricity that powers the vehicle. The FCV’s driving range is expected to be 300 miles on a fuel tank of hydrogen. The costs of operation will be comparable to a gasoline vehicle.

The FCV produces zero C02 emissions and only emits water vapor. Hydrogen is a safe fuel to use for a vehicle. It is non-toxic, lighter and less flammable than gasoline. There are between 40-50 hydrogen fueling stations operational in the U.S. today, California has ten of them. California will be the first state to have the FCV available. The state is investing millions into creating hydrogen fuel stations and expect to have 40 operational in 2015 and 100 by 2016.