The trailblazing Toyota Mirai will be getting a sequel. The Japanese giant is preparing to launch the second generation of the hydrogen fuel-cell car next year, company chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada said yesterday, reported by Reuters. He was speaking at an international ministerial meeting on hydrogen energy in Tokyo.
Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles have been around when the Mirai – which means ‘future’ in Japanese – entered the scene in late 2014, but the Toyota was touted as the first mass-market FCV that one can walk into a showroom and buy, as opposed to small scale fleet testing.
The Mirai has a US EPA driving range rating of 502 km on a single fill of hydrogen, the longest range of any zero emissions vehicle on the market at that time (650 km in Japan’s less realistic JC08 cycle). The four-door, mid-size sedan features a fuel cell system – the car is driven by an electric motor, with electricity for it created on demand by fusing hydrogen and oxygen to produce the required voltage. It emits just water vapour.
The Mirai’s fuel cell stack is located under the front seats and offers 3.1 kW/L of power output density. Other figures include a total output of 153 hp, a 0-100 km/h time of 9.0 seconds and a 40-60 km/h acceleration time of 3.0 seconds.
The Mirai getting a sequel is proof that despite belatedly jumping on the electric bandwagon due to peer pressure and recent developments, Toyota is holding on to its idea that hydrogen fuel cell is the green tech of the future. Here’s what they said about the dream when it started.
GALLERY: Toyota Mirai at the Fuji Speedway Short Course
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ugliest car of the century
What a weird looking car. Wonder if the design is really functional