MIRAI A MARVEL
Toyota’s fuel cell-powered Mirai — ‘future’ in Japanese — uses hydrogen, emits water vapour
I have seen the promise of the future, and it is hydrogen. Well, hydrogen-powered at least.
The 2016 Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicle (FCV), unveiled at this SoCal beach community to a gathering of journalists, is the culmination of the Japanese automaker’s two-decade commitment to FCV technologies. Its sole emission is water vapour.
The four-seat, zero emission vehicle, the world’s first commercially available FCV, will go on sale next month in Japan. Next year it will become available in Europe and the United States (read: California) and will have an initial global production run for 2015 of 700 units. By the end of 2017, Toyota estimates 2,000 Mirai sedans will be on U.S. roads.
U.S. pricing for the Mirai is $57,500, though some jurisdictions offer up to $13,000 in incentives. Three-year leases will go for $499 a month.
Toyota claims a full-fuelled range of approximately 483 kilometres and a refuel time of less than five minutes. Horsepower is rated at 153.
As there is no set pricing model yet for hydrogen fuel stations, early adopters of the Mirai will not pay for their fuel, to be dispensed via a growing network of hydrogen stations, now clustered the Los Angeles and San Francisco- Silicon Valley areas.
There are now 10 such stations in California, with 20 more set to open by the end of 2015 and another 40 scheduled to be in place by the end of 2016.
Toyota has invested 20 years in the pursuit of creating a commercially viable FCV to achieve what it calls a “Hydrogen Society.”
That society will begin on this continent in California, and five states in the northeast will soon be getting a hydrogen fuel station network, with Toyota planning to sell the Mirai in those markets in the coming years.
When — and if — that society takes root in Canada is open to speculation. No hydrogen fuel station infrastructure exists anywhere in the country and if, indeed, there are plans to create such a network, that information is nowhere in the public domain.
Skeptics will no doubt be legion, but Toyota is a company that has a proven record of defying such naysayers when it comes to alternative-powered vehicles. When the Prius hybrid debuted in 1997, few would have believed that in under 20 years more than seven million would be produced and sold.
Despite having only about 30 minutes behind the wheel of the Mirai, it was enough to conclude that Toyota engineers have achieved what they set out to do: make the hydrogen-powered sedan perform in much the same manner as a Prius hybrid.
However, the acceleration is much better in the Mirai, with an electric-vehicle sensation when you stab the throttle from
Toyota claims a full-fuelled range of approximately 483 kilometres and a refuel time of less than five minutes.
a standstill. While not quite as whisper quiet as an EV, the Mirai is a much more quiet ride than a gasoline-engined vehicle.
The Mirai has about the same length as a Camry, but it is not as wide. The handling while driving around the streets of Newport Beach seemed quite reasonable, and the Mirai’s low centre of gravity provides a little fun-todrive aspect to the emission-free vehicle.
Getting up to highway speed on an on-ramp was no problem, neither was keeping up with traffic on Southern California’s speedy freeways. Steering feedback is a little neutral, though when pushed, it does provide some sense of road awareness.
As with the Prius hybrid, there is regenerative braking, but the slowing sensation when you take your foot off the accelerator is not as pronounced. Also like the Prius, there is a “B” selection on the shifter to manually exert more power regeneration. The single-speed gearbox means there is no sensation of shifting while accelerating, adding to the smooth and serene travel experience.
Creature comforts are typical of what you find in a luxury car, and include heated seats front and back, a heated steering wheel and power steering-wheel adjustment. The touch screen, with digital readout, is easy to operate and use, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the same system makes its way into the Prius in coming years.
All in all, the Mirai is an easyto-drive vehicle with just a hint of sportiness.
Is it truly the future of the automobile? Only time will tell.