Toyota Mirai a leader in hydrogen power
Two stories about hydrogen cars in less than 24 hours… It would seem that hybrid power has been eclipsed by a cleaner power system and Toyota is among the industry leaders.
The Toyota Mirai has set a few world records in its short lifespan. It served as the parade car for NASCAR – the first hydrogen car to do so – and now the Mirai has notched up another record, this time for the longest range of any zero-emissions car. Running on electricity created by a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, the Toyota Mirai achieved a range of 502km from a single tank. That’s an average of 3.5l/100km. Not litres of fuel but litres of hydrogen.
Jim Lentz, Toyota North America CEO, announced the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) fuel economy rating for Mirai at the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado this week. It confirms that Mirai is the only zero emissions electric vehicle on the market capable of exceeding 300 miles (480 km) on one fill.
Lenz said: “Toyota realised in the early 90s that electrification was key to the future of the automobile. Just as Prius introduced hybrid-electric vehicles to millions of customers nearly 20 years ago, Mirai is now poised to usher in a new era of efficient, hydrogen transportation.”
Although this is all very exciting for hydrogen models in general, real-world feasibility is still a pipe dream. If countries haven’t managed to build sufficient infrastructure to accommodate hybrid cars, then complex hydrogen stations seem more than a decade away.
