The 2021 Toyota Mirai’s Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) is $50,525 for the XLE base trim with destination charge and common extras. As you select additional features or add choices, prices will rise.
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Is buying a Toyota Mirai worthwhile?
For the appropriate buyer, a hydrogen fuel cell car like the Mirai can be a fantastic value. The Mirai includes a significant fuel allowance, and the incentives and tax breaks can make leasing or purchasing one much more affordable.
What is the lifespan of a Toyota Mirai?
The astounding EPA-estimated driving range of the new 2022 Toyota Mirai is achieved by fusing hydrogen with oxygen from ambient air. The hydrogen fuel tank that interacts with the air entering through the grille is at the center of the new Toyota Mirai 2022. From here, it flows to the fuel cell stack, where oxygen from the intake and hydrogen undergo a chemical reaction to produce electricity. This produces the power required to move the new Toyota Mirai in 2022. The new 2022 Toyota Mirai XLE and 2022 Toyota Mirai Limited both feature EPA-estimated driving ranges of up to 402 miles and 357 miles, respectively. Just consider how far you could go with a full tank. How far will you travel and where will you go?
How much does hydrogen fuel cost per gallon?
Although hydrogen fuel is four times more expensive than gasoline and about $16 per gallon, it is far more efficient than gasoline. The cost of a fillup is high even though hydrogen cars, which have electric engines, have cruising ranges that are more than 350 miles longer than any battery-electric and some gas-powered vehicles.
The financial blow has been considerably mitigated by incentives. The state offers a $4,500 clean-car refund, and manufacturers supply refueling cards with three years’ worth of credit put on them. The first year of leasing a hydrogen vehicle, which is what most drivers do instead of buying, is mostly covered by that refund. New hydrogen vehicles cost around $60,000 and don’t come in as many model variants as battery-powered electric vehicles.
Aaron Slavin and his wife, who reside in the Altadena, California, neighborhood of Los Angeles, created a spreadsheet to analyze the benefits and drawbacks of driving a hydrogen-fueled vehicle. They came to the conclusion that keeping a gas-electric hybrid “didn’t pencil out.”
Aaron Slavin refueled his 2017 Toyota Mirai at a one-bay hydrogen pump concealed at a typical gas station in South Pasadena and declared, “I’m a big fan of this car; I preach about them.
Slavin, a producer of performing arts, claimed that because of his employment, lack of frequent commuting, and backup hybrid SUV, he is an ideal fit for the vehicle.
Last year, a fuel manufacturing facility explosion restricted supply for months, leaving some hydrogen stations with empty tanks, leaving some drivers stranded or demanding lengthy treks to alternate stations, making the second car essential. Slavin turned to a smartphone app that offered a real-time inventory of fuel at each station in response to the issue, which some drivers dubbed the “hydropocalypse.”
Although the gasoline issue has been fixed, it prompted a concern. Our lease expires in April, so I really need to consider our options, Slavin added. ” The automobile is nice, however the fuel situation worries me.
Hydrogen energy production has long been an alluring objective. After all, hydrogen is the most common element in the universe, it is lightweight and energy-dense, and when used in transportation, it doesn’t release greenhouse gases but rather little pools of water instead.
But this clean-burning fuel has a carbon history. About 95% of hydrogen fuel is created via an energy-intensive method that relies on methane, the deadliest of the planet-warming gases, even though once it is formed it drives zero-emission electric motors. Because of this, it is challenging for certain environmental organizations to promote hydrogen vehicles.
Director of the Sierra Club in California Kathryn Phillips said, “We need to remove methane out of the system, not create a dependency on creating more. ” The current utilization of state subsidies for hydrogen fuel cells is not the ideal one when seen from an environmental perspective.
Two responses are given by supporters: Why not trap and use the methane that is currently being released unregulated into the environment from landfills and oil and gas plants while the state makes the transition to a zero-carbon economy? Why not switch to a technique that doesn’t use methane and uses the state’s excess solar energy instead, making the manufacturing clean and environmentally friendly?
Hydrogen vehicles can’t compete in a key area: price, while having benefits over battery electrics or gasoline automobiles in terms of quicker filling, less weight, and greater range. The cost of a typical municipal bus could be $450,000. Similar standards for a hydrogen bus cost more like $1 million.
Lewis Fulton, a specialist in transportation at UC Davis, claims that hydrogen “presents numerous separate chicken-and-egg challenges simultaneously.
He asserted that there won’t be more hydrogen fuelling stations until there are more vehicles built and bought. Furthermore, unless there are sufficient gas stations, customers might be concerned about getting stranded and may not feel safe operating the vehicles.
The only solution, according to Fulton, is a really strong policy push. “In the state, there is already one going on, but I’m not sure if it’s big enough.
As part of its ongoing conflict with the Trump administration, which last year took away the state’s jurisdiction to establish its own tailpipe pollution rules, California’s efforts to promote the market for hydrogen cars could be hindered. Car manufacturers who supported looser emissions regulations with the federal government will pay a price by having their vehicles removed from the state’s fleet.
Toyota, which sided with Washington, would be excluded at a time when the business is stepping up its hydrogen program and is anticipated to dramatically increase customer awareness of hydrogen vehicles due to its position as a major multinational automaker.
Supporters played minimized the problem. Eckerle acknowledged that there was an issue. He continued, however, that there has been no sign from automakers that they plan to back out of their commitment to producing hydrogen-powered vehicles.
The Toyota Mirai has sold how many units?
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 was 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 reached 17,940 units as of December 2021 [update]; the top-selling markets were the United States with 9,274 units, Japan with 6,618 units, and the rest of the globe with 2,048 units. [7]
The 2016 model year Mirai has a total range of 502 km (312 mi) according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cycle on a full tank. The Mirai was the most fuel-efficient hydrogen fuel cell vehicle at the time and had the greatest range thanks to its MPG-equivalent combined city/highway fuel economy rating of 66 mpgUS (3.6 L/100 km; 79 mpgimp). [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 was offered for retail purchase in the UK, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, and Norway as of June 2016[update]. [13] Prices in Germany began at 60,000 (about US$75,140) + VAT (78,540). [14]
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.
How long is the Mirai battery good for?
The typical battery life of a 2021 Toyota Mirai is three to five years, however actual battery life might vary substantially depending on driving patterns, weather, and battery size and type.
With the Mirai, is Toyota losing money?
It seems like a cerulean luxury vehicle left Willy Wonka’s fantasy factory rather than a dull Toyota production facility.
The hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai may represent the way of things to come, or it may just be a research endeavor that the general people may ultimately find to be too bizarre to use. It is the never-ending automobile head-turner. Although it is too soon to predict its destiny, the years to come may be promising.
The Mirai is a beautiful vehicle. It shares the same base as the Lexus LS and is a luxurious, large, quiet vehicle. And with a price tag of $67,420, it all makes sense.
The exterior is angular, with attractive angles, and has a design that bears the car’s large heft nicely, especially in the Hydro Blue color my tester had. Although it is not a little car, it never appears awkward to drive or park.
It has easy-to-reach buttons, cupholders, and a wireless phone charger in the center console inside, just like a standard Toyota. Numerous convenience and safety options are available, including heated and ventilated seats and adaptive cruise control.
Bulletproof hydrogen storage tanks
As a result, you could assume it’s just a big luxury sedan and stop there. But if you look under the hood, it’s not.
This is due to the hydrogen-powered nature of the vehicle. The Mirai has three carbon fiber reinforced tanks that can contain a combined 11 pounds of hydrogen at 10,000 PSI. Three are present: one beneath the back seat, one beneath the batteries behind the back seats, and one in the center tunnel between the passengers (thus the big center console).
Throughout my week with the Mirai, I was subjected to numerous Hindenburg jokes, but Toyota tested the hydrogen tanks to ensure they can take gunfire, so I wasn’t too concerned. Basically, the hydrogen tanks are probably the least of your concerns if you are in a collision that is significant enough to harm them.
Driving a Toyota hybrid is quite similar to driving a Mirai. It has the same peculiar gear knob as a Prius, and at low speeds, the driving sensation is almost identical. The back of the vehicle has a sizable lithium-ion battery that powers the vehicle at low speeds, improves efficiency by producing electricity while braking, and provides a slight boost of power when accelerating.
Except for the strange, synthetic “whoosh” noise that Toyota pipes into the sound, so you receive some sort of aural feedback of what’s happening under the hood, you wouldn’t even notice anything different while driving.
As with an electric vehicle, a hydrogen-powered vehicle has a sizable battery and electric motors to turn the wheels. A hydrogen automobile employs something called a fuel cell to create electricity, in contrast to battery-electric vehicles, which use a sizable battery charged by the electric grid to power the motors.
Your energy comes from a chemical reaction taking place in the fuel cell “stack,” which is still “green” and silent. Electric current and water are created when hydrogen from the tank and oxygen from the atmosphere combine. The sole consequence of the procedure is the water, which drops from a little conduit under the car.
Hydrogen molecules divide into protons and electrons as they pass through an anode. Protons travel via an electrolyte membrane to a cathode where they interact with oxygen and split electrons to form water molecules while electrons travel off to a circuit to create electrical current.
Complicated? Yes. The end result, however, is that you can “load up” an electric car with hydrogen in a matter of minutes as opposed to having to wait far longer for an electric car’s battery to charge. It combines all the comforts of a gas-powered car with the environmental friendliness (and clean air) of an EV, in a sense.
First, fuel cells powered by hydrogen are pricey. Between the fuel cell and the hydrogen storage, they need a lot of platinum, titanium, and carbon fiber. Before the government tax incentives reduce the price by more than $10,000, Toyota offers this Mirai for $66,000.
Toyota offers a $15,000 prepaid debit card to help with the cost of hydrogen, so that explains some of it. Toyota also offers 21 days of no-interest car loans due to the difficulty in obtaining hydrogen. Definitely more challenging than the closest EV charging or gas station.
My home county of San Diego only has one hydrogen filling station, and the majority of them are in Orange or the Bay Area in California. A Mirai owner told me that Toyota handed all San Diego Mirai owners loaner cars because they couldn’t fill up when the San Diego filling station went out for a week earlier this year.
Though not nearly a nationwide network, some new hydrogen stations are now being built. Simply put, the infrastructure isn’t there yet. Although several businesses are making investments in hydrogen technology and Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai all sell hydrogen cars in California, widespread adoption is still years or perhaps decades away.
My week in the Mirai is a glimpse into the future, similar to the lickable wallpaper or the immortal gobstopper from Willy Wonka. Improvements for the general market are necessary for widespread adoption. The sticker price should decrease and there should be more gas stations available. There is no assurance that one of those events will occur on time.
I traveled in a vehicle that produces only water, is silent, and uses a number of air filters to bring in air that is cleaner than when it left. Is the Mirai a forerunner in the transition to hydrogen fuel? I doubt it, but one of Willy Wonka’s gobstoppers won’t last as long in your memory as the peculiar delights of this car.
One Cool Detail:
Considering that hydrogen is costly depending on how aggressively you drive, it has a 5.5kg tank that can travel 300 miles for $16.43 per kilogram. Toyota includes a bank card with $15,000 already loaded on it for purchasing hydrogen.
At the gas station, I met a polite Mirai owner who showed me his vehicle. If you aren’t completely empty, it can hold 913 kilograms of hydrogen, or nearly 200 fill-ups. You should be able to travel about 40,000 miles on that without purchasing any petrol. Very good.
Prices for hydrogen should decline over the following ten years as infrastructure is developed, but they are relatively high at the moment. I suppose that’s the cost of early adoption.