The Toyota Mirai, also known as MIRAI in Japan and Toyota Mirai in Hepburn, is a mid-size hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) made by Toyota. It is one of the first FCV vehicles to be mass-produced and offered for sale on a wide scale. [4] [5] At the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2014, the Mirai was presented. [6] Global sales as of December 2021[update] reached 17,940 units. The top three markets in terms of sales were the United States (9,274 units), Japan (6,618), and the rest of the world (2,048 units). [7]
The 2016 model year Mirai has a combined city/highway fuel economy rating of 66 mpgUS (3.6 L/100 km; 79 mpgimp) equivalent (MPG-equivalent), making it the most fuel-efficient hydrogen fuel cell vehicle at the time as well as the one with the longest range according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cycle. Its total range is 502 km (312 mi) on a full tank.
[8] The second-generation Mirai broke the previous record in August 2021 by going 1,360 kilometres (845 mi) with a full tank of 5.65 kg hydrogen. [9]
Sales in Japan started on December 15th at Toyota Store and Toyopet Store locations for 6.7 million (about US$57,400). The Japanese government intends to provide a 2 million yen (about $19,600 USD) subsidy to aid in the commercialization of fuel-cell automobiles. [10] Before any government subsidies, retail sales in the United States started in August 2015 at a cost of US$57,500. In California, deliveries to retail consumers started in October 2015. [11] In the first half of 2016, Toyota planned to introduce the Mirai in the Northeastern States. [12] The Mirai is currently on sale in the UK, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, and Norway for retail prices as of June 2016[update]. [13] German prices begin at 60,000 euros ($75,140) plus VAT (78,540). [14]
In This Article...
How many cars powered by hydrogen have been sold?
A hydrogen fuel cell car is very uncommon to see on the road. Since 2011, almost 41,700 hydrogen vehicles have been sold, which is comparable to the amount of automobiles the Volkswagen Group sold in China in just four days. The expensive cost of these cars and the weak hydrogen infrastructure are factors in the poor sales numbers. Additionally, there are currently only a limited number of options for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.
The Hyundai Nexo and the Toyota Mirai accounted for 98 percent of the volume of sales for hydrogen vehicles in the previous year. The phased-out Honda Clarity and a pitiful number of test vehicles from manufacturers including Renault, Maxus, BMW, and Peugeot accounted for the remaining sales.
Why are Mirais only available in California?
Toyota today produces a variety of electrical vehicles, from hybrids and plug-in hybrids to pure battery electrics and the hydrogen fuel cell Mirai, 23 years after the Prius hit the market. All of the company’s automobiles will be available in electric form by the year 2025. The manufacturer hopes the new Mirai will aid in achieving its goal of 25% of U.S. sales coming from EVs, which it has set for itself to achieve in five years.
The chicken and egg issue with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is similar to that with battery electric vehicles. Although there aren’t many hydrogen refueling stations, without them automakers have been slow to create hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
Hydrogen stations are still few and far between when compared to petrol stations, but that is beginning to change. California presently has the most public hydrogen stations of any state with 43. By the summer of 2022, another 21 are anticipated to be operational, including seven stations from the fuel supplier Iwatani in Southern California that will start to operate this summer.
The 2021 Mirai will only be offered in Los Angeles and San Francisco when it goes on sale this month due to the relative quantity of hydrogen stations in California. However, Toyota is offering 21 days of free rental automobiles for journeys that may depart from regions with easy access to hydrogen fuel. Additionally, the business will give out three years’ worth of hydrogen fuel.
Why would someone pick a hydrogen fuel cell car over a battery-powered one? The upfront cost of hydrogen fuel cell EVs is more in line with a comparable gas-powered vehicle because to the free fuel, a $4,500 rebate from the California Clean Vehicle Rebate Project, and a $8,000 federal tax credit.
Eight percent of Americans live in apartments, where they would not have access to EV chargers. They can instead refill at a public hydrogen station, which takes five minutes to fill up like a petrol station.
Moreover, wildfires. Hydrogen is still available because to its independence from the grid, even though California experiences a perpetual wildfire season that occasionally forces utilities to take preventative measures like shutting down.
Any new technology must outperform the one it aims to replace in order to be successful. Toyota makes a strong argument for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles with the 2021 Mirai that just might rescue the company from obscurity.
Are vehicles powered by hydrogen returning?
A 300-mile tank of hydrogen now costs about 60, which is significantly more expensive than electric fuel. In addition, a significant portion of the hydrogen sold today is made from the extra carbon created when fossil fuels are burned by using carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.
The drawbacks of battery-powered EVs should not be disregarded, though. It is unlikely that we will witness significant advancements in battery technology anytime soon despite years of investment. Not to mention that lithium-ion batteries are hefty, making their use in freight and aviation all but unfeasible. Due to ethical mining concerns and high expenses that increase the overall cost of EVs, the metals used to make current batteries, such cobalt and nickel, are particularly problematic.
Although both currently have flaws, there is a lot of interest in developing the technology to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen, ending the dependency on fossil fuels for the creation of hydrogen. To cut costs and hasten the transition, there is consideration of converting natural gas infrastructure for use in hydrogen transportation once this is feasible.
Hyundai recently declared that, as part of its Vision 2040, company plans to introduce hydrogen fuel cell versions of every model of commercial vehicle as early as 2028. The big automaker guarantees its “A new generation of fuel cells will be available in 2023. Additionally, it aims to build a hydrogen FCEV at a cost that is competitive with that of its EV counterpart. This might increase demand for the FCEV, which is now very pricey compared to entry-level EVs.
According to Hyundai, a third-generation fuel cell stack would be available as a result of technological improvement “Power output was doubled, overall package volume was cut by 30%, and prices were reduced by more than 50%.
However, Hyundai is not the only automaker experimenting with cutting-edge new technology as part of its long-term plan for environmentally friendly cars. By 2023, Toyota Motor Corporation expects to start manufacturing fuel cells at its Kentucky facility for use in heavy-duty commercial vehicles and big rigs. In 2022, General Motors also plans to offer gasoline for Navistar as part of an emission-free long-haul pilot program, with a goal of 500 miles of range and a filling time of under 15 minutes.
Is hydrogen a potential fuel in the future?
The cost of producing hydrogen with low-carbon energy is currently high. According to an IEA research, the cost of generating hydrogen from renewable electricity might decrease by 30% by 2030 as a combination of falling renewable energy prices and increased hydrogen production.
In the USA, how many hydrogen automobiles are there?
Sales and leasing volumes show that there are ever more fuel cell cars available to consumers and on the road. There were 6,558 fuel cell vehicles on the road as of February 2019. It should be emphasized that sales of fuel cell vehicles (including leases) are now only available in a few locations with infrastructure for refilling with hydrogen.
How many hydrogen-powered automobiles exist worldwide?
The majority of road vehicles that use hydrogen fuel cell technology are passenger cars. There were 25,932 such vehicles registered as of 2020. Buses came in second, but much behind, with 5,648 of them running on hydrogen. Future passenger car sales will be dominated by electric vehicles. When the hydrogen contained in the car comes into touch with an electrochemical cell, hydrogen fuel cells provide a different way to generate power. Fuel cell electric vehicles create exhaust emissions consisting only of water, making them an attractive alternative for the future of the industry.
In the US in 2021, how many hydrogen fueling stations will there be?
There were 45 publicly accessible hydrogen refueling stations in the US as of January 2021[update], 43 of which were situated in California.
[20]
- Arizona: To show that such fueling stations may be established in populated regions, a prototype hydrogen fueling station was constructed in Phoenix in accordance with all applicable safety, environmental, and architectural requirements. [21] [22] In Arizona, there were no publicly accessible stations in use as of January 2021 [update]. [20]
- California had 43 stations as of January 2021 [update].
- [20] The California Fuel Cell Partnership and the California Hydrogen Highway program of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger supported and provided funding for the construction of hydrogen stations.
- [23]
- [24] A law to finance up to 100 hydrogen stations, AB 8, was signed by Governor Brown in 2013. [25]
- Connecticut. In Connecticut, there was only one publicly accessible station operating as of January 2021[update]. [20]
- 2009 saw the opening of Hawaii’s first hydrogen station at Hickam.
- [26]
- [27] The Aloha Motor Company established a hydrogen filling station in Honolulu in 2012.
- [28] But only one publicly accessible station was running in Hawaii as of January 2021[update]. [20]
- Massachusetts: In October 2018, the French company Air Liquide finished building one of four new hydrogen fueling stations in Mansfield, Massachusetts, as part of an expansion of the infrastructure for hydrogen fueling in the Northeastern United States.
- [29] The headquarters of fuel cell maker Nuvera in Billerica, Massachusetts, houses the state’s only other hydrogen refueling station. [30] In Massachusetts, there were no publicly accessible stations in use as of January 2021 [update]. [20]
- Michigan: The first hydrogen station in North America was established in Dearborn, MI, in 2000 by the Ford Motor Company and Air Products & Chemicals.
- [31] In Michigan, there were no publicly accessible stations in use as of January 2021 [update]. [20]
- The Missouri University of Science and Technology campus houses Missouri’s sole hydrogen fueling station.
- [32] In Missouri, there were no publicly accessible stations in use as of January 2021 [update]. [20]
- Ohio: The Center for Automotive Research at Ohio State University constructed a hydrogen filling station in 2007. In Ohio, there is only this one station. [33] In Ohio, there were no publicly accessible stations in use as of January 2021 [update]. [20]
- Vermont: In Burlington, Vermont, a hydrogen station was constructed in 2004. The Hydrogen Program of the US Department of Energy provided some funding for the project. [34] In Vermont, there were no publicly accessible stations in use as of January 2021 [update]. [20]
Is buying a Toyota Mirai worthwhile?
The Mirai has a luxuriously smooth ride, a tastefully finished interior, and a sturdy construction. Because of its rear-wheel-drive design and superior weight distribution, it drives through curves with remarkable composure. The Mirai is slightly more expensive than its rivals, and both passenger and cargo space are constrained.
Is Mirai a worthwhile purchase?
The 2022 Toyota Mirai has the renowned Toyota dependability, but the price is difficult to justify.
The second generation of the ToyotaMirai, which debuted in 2020, includes the 2022 model. The 2022 Toyota Mirai has a lot going for it, including pliant suspension that makes it one of the most comfortable cars to drive and remarkable driving characteristics.
The cabin is fully equipped with all the necessary amenities and technology, and the entertainment system is also quite good. The Mirai is a hydrogen fuel-cell-powered vehicle that delivers an exceptional driving range and a higher level of refinement than its competitors. Since the introduction of the second generation, which has a more masculine profile and sportier rear end, the exterior design has been masterfully executed. Here are ten things to consider before purchasing a 2022 Toyota Mirai.
Why is the Mirai priced so low?
The Toyota Mirai is one of only two hydrogen-powered automobiles that are currently being produced, making it relatively special. Although hydrogen technology is by no means new, it has only ever been utilized in concept cars, which makes Mirai a unique automobile.
We must examine every facet of operating and maintaining a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in order to comprehend why the Mirai is so inexpensive (FCV). Even if you have no plans to purchase a Mirai, I urge you to read this article because the concept behind it is both fascinating and ground-breaking.
The simple answer is that the Mirai is affordable due to the significant incentives provided when purchasing a new model, the most popular three-year lease with free fuel, a dearth of charging stations, and some consumer skepticism over the technology.
What is the price to fill up a Mirai?
In a perfect world, refueling a hydrogen car should take about the same amount of time as refueling a gasoline or diesel vehicle. Since the fuel is under pressure (up to 10,000 psi), you must lock the nozzle in place, but after you do that, you should be good to go. The pressure at the station, however, may really drop off momentarily if there are multiple automobiles waiting in line for hydrogen, slowing down everyone. If multiple cars use it in a sequence, the nozzle may also freeze, adhering to the cars and making removal more difficult until it thaws out.
Currently, it can be expensive to fill up a car with hydrogen, in part due to the lack of infrastructure. For instance, refueling the Mirai would run you roughly $90 per throw if you had to pay for it (by the kilogram). However, if all goes according to plan, you can drive around releasing only water, which is a pleasant perk.
Watch Tommy’s video below for additional information on the Mirai and what it’s like to live with it: