Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell

Over the years the eco-friendly vehicle segment has gained significant momentum, created by the development of hybrid, electric and now hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. It is the hydrogen fuel cell technology that is most publicized recently, and so much of enthusiasm is centered on Mirai. A hot topic of discussion is, whether the novel innovation of Mirai can out beat existing electric vehicle technology.

The drive distance of most electric vehicles in the market is 75 miles, the newly developed Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle can move effortlessly for as long as 300miles. Sources who have test driven the car found Mirai to move swiftly, but not at super swift pace. The inner space is sufficiently vast and four occupants can sit comfortably with ease, and there is also enough room for hefty luggage. The government is keen to push the power of hydrogen fuel cell technology, and the car is reasonably priced taking its high-tech development into consideration and priced at below $45,000.

The principle behind the operation of hydrogen fuel systems is, a stack of hydrogen filled cells, react with the atmospheric oxygen to form electricity that drives the vehicle.  Mirai has an edge over other forms of eco-friendly systems, for the simple fact that the emitted gas is filled with only water. Inside Mirai is a couple of hydrogen tanks, and the refueling process happens in a jiffy in barely five minutes.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology functions differently, and the main concern is the sourcing of hydrogen gas to build hydrogen gas stations. It is the lightest element on the planet, despite the tediousness there are now quite a few hydrogen fuel cell tanks developed, and many are concentrated in California. The hydrogen fuel cell charging process is free for up to three years and it is funded by Toyota.

So how is it to sit inside Mirai, one can only imagine, but sources who have sat inside were mesmerized to the core. It has all the aspects of a space age car with capacitive touch slider switches for temperature settings, futuristic glass cockpit with LCD displays and a couple of centre fitted touchscreens. The centre stack is packed with equipments and the drive instructions are similar to any other conventional car, all drivers’ have to do is touch the starter button. Once in motion, the vehicle just travels and travels smoothly for long distances of 300 miles, which implies that the hydrogen gas stacked into it is the latest compressed natural gas form.

Toyota has installed the car with an efficient NiMH battery pack that offers the required boost to tread past long distances. In the near future will Mirai hydrogen fuel cell technology prove to be more significant than electric or hybrid vehicles? We will have to find out.

2016 Toyota Mirai

Toyota earlier announced that it plans to limit the production of its hydrogen fuel cell car Mirai, and the planned outcome was 700units. Now the company aims to increase production rate to 2,000 units in the year 2016 and about 3,000 units in 2017. The company first introduced hydrogen fuel cell Mirai on the 15^th of December 2014, and the favorable export destinations are certain European nations and UK.

The company has received more than 1,500 orders for the car, and Toyota now plans to adjust supply with demand. The people of Japan are fascinated with Mirai, because of its high-tech nature of development, and the request for it is hence gigantic. It is interesting to learn that Toyota has completed the full scale development of Mirai, its very hydrogen fuel cell venture.

Automobile companies all over the world are developing new theories co-related to hydrogen fuel cell technology. The principle behind the operation of the technique is the fitment of a stack of hydrogen cells that combine with the atmospheric oxygen to form electricity that runs the vehicle. Over the years, many eco-friendly vehicle theories have been developed such as hybrid and electric car technology. The theory of hydrogen fuel cell sounds conventional and practical, and most of us would wonder about why it has not been thought of earlier.

Hydrogen is the lightest element on the planet, and harvesting it is tedious, and the main hurdle is the construction of hydrogen gas stations. It is a task to extract hydrogen gas and store it in gas stations. The system is not as feasible as charging an electric car inserted with lithium ion battery. There may be few hydrogen gas stations, but the popularity of it is still unknown.

Toyota is now certain about the efficient motion of Mirai, and it can zoom through 483km on just a single hydrogen tank, and the refueling process happens in below five minutes. It is a zero emission system and the car emits only water with no harmful gases whatsoever. The potent electric motor churns impressive 152bhp power and it flows to front wheels.

Toyota’s innovative Mirai project is ready, and it will be intriguing to observe how it fares in the initial few months. The company will now increase the production numbers of the vehicle, there are considerable number of electric and hybrid vehicles on the road and the movement of Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle will soon gain pace. Few years from now there may be several hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the road and its presence might be as impactful as conventional vehicles.

Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell

Apart from hybrid and electric vehicles, the latest progress in the eco-friendly vehicle automobile industry is hydrogen powered vehicles. Toyota has for months announced of its plan to build Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car. The principle behind the operation of a hydrogen fuel cell car is different from others of its kind. The mode of operation here is the fitment of stack of hydrogen cells that reacts with atmospheric oxygen to form electricity that drives the vehicles.

The mode of discovery of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle sounds high-tech and practical, it is an unexplored sources, that many would believe should have been thought of years ago. Toyota is keen to unravel the potential of hydrogen fuel cell technology through the construction of Mirai and the goal is to carry the technology to the market and make it effectively accessible to a mass crowd.

The senior Vice President of Toyota, Bob Carter says, in order to showcase a pioneering futuristic technology, display it in the form of a real model, and that’s what we are working on. Mirai is a huge development and the company has stated over 5,000 patents, and is constructing measures to make the hydrogen fuel system available to a mass crowd through the construction of hydrogen gas station.

Toyota launched Mirai in 2014 November, and the vehicle runs on electricity generated from hydrogen, and it is not all dependent on electric engine. The acceleration potential of the vehicle is praiseworthy in just 9 seconds it can breezily travel distances of 0 to 60mph. With just a single tank of hydrogen gas, the car can zoom through vast distances of maximum range of 300 miles.

Despite the heightened efficacy and space-age technology infused into Mirai, Toyota is not very satisfied with the development of the vehicle. The size of Mirai is parallel to Camry, and it costs $57,500 pricier than any other high-tech Toyota car in the market. The main concern is majority of the inner space is occupied by stack of hydrogen fuel. The other issue is the efficient availability of hydrogen gas, and sources state that the gas is not as eco-friendly as the company makes it out to be. Hydrogen is the most widely available gas, but storing it is not as realistic as its abundance value. It is more light-weighted than atmospheric oxygen and harvesting it is tedious.

Toyota has been banking on the potential of hydrogen fuel cell technology, but the initial stages of development did not start on a positive note. It is a known fact that hydrogen gas is difficult to harvest, because it is the lightest element on Earth. There is however still scope for progress, mainly because once hydrogen is harvested and the electricity generation process involves zero gas emission. Let’s observe the evolution of the technology in the near future.

2016 Toyota Mirai

With the Mirai, Toyota offers itself the opportunity to be ahead in the race in the budding fuel cell vehicle segment. The hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicle is considered to the ultimate green car that can fully change the future mobility system in the world.

Several automotive giants including General Motors, BMW, Hyundai and Honda have been also engaged in the development of the fuel cell vehicles, and Hyundai has even launched its Hydrogen fueled Tucson earlier this year as a lease only vehicle. However, despite all the hindrances, Toyota Motor has been increasingly committed to its fuel-cell project.

The Toyota Mirai which means the future in Japanese is a truly futuristic hydrogen powered vehicle both in terms technology and design. The cool looking sedan is powered by compressed hydrogen that is used to produce electricity to propel it when combined with the naturally found oxygen.

The Toyota Mirai also has unlimited range unlike the electric vehicles and can be refueled in few minutes just like a conventional fuel vehicle. The car can travel up to 300 miles on a full tank of hydrogen, and offers great silent, convenient drive experience with absolutely zero harmful emissions. As it relies on the chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, the Murai releases only water vapor and heat through its exhaust pipe.

The Toyota Mirai essentially drives like an electric vehicle, which is quite and practically vibration free. It just has very few noises as a result of the fuel cell system’s working process. Thus, the car offers a great drive experience as well. It also offers the convenience of quick acceleration and good power figures unlike the typical plug-in electric vehicle.

Another remarkable advantage of the fuel cell vehicles over the battery operated electric vehicles is the reduced weight which also increases the performance level. As battery packs are very heavy they offer less power and performance as compared to the fuel cell system which are lighter and as a result offer better performance, mileage as well as drive dynamics. The Toyota Mirai weighs 1,850kg which is not very light, compared against the conventional battery powered electric vehicles is significantly lighter.

The Mirai can also reach 0 to 60mph in just 9 seconds, and offers the top speed of 178 km per hour. The Mirai’s system produces a max power of 151hp and 247 lb-ft of peak torque.

And all these great things are offered in a compact package of a stylish family sedan that offers all the convenience and safety of the patent Toyota cars. The Mirai went on sale in the car market of Japan at a price of 6.7 million yen, and the vehicle can also be leased for 36 months at $499 per month.

Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell

Considering fuel cell technology has been the dream and the expensive nightmare of the global car majors for decades, now that the Mirai has finally launched, everyone wishes to know what exactly it drives like. Let us take a look at the Mirai as a whole.

Design

The Toyota Murai looks very close to the Toyota FCV concept that has been getting praises at the various international auto shows. The Mirai of course gets practical and production level alterations, but still looks like the FCV concept model. Its design is radical, futuristic and fits well with its new technology. Still some found it to be rather awkward and disharmony of various shapes, curves, accents, slopes and angles.

Seating arrangement & cabin

Inside the cabin of the Toyota Mirai sedan, the car is a patent Toyota with very comfortable seats, though only for four occupants, as the pretty heavy green car was thought better not to accommodate a fifth passenger to allow it offer better range and performance. The seating arrangement is similar to that of the Prius hybrid.

As a fact, the Mirai is similar to the Prius in many ways, and its hard plastic with soft surface interior materials are also similar to the Prius. The cabin is also pretty futuristic in keeping with the exterior design and comes with large displays.

Drive experience

Again, starting the Mirai is similar to Prius. The ambiguous button marked “P” took some time to get figured out as the parking brake release button. The Mirai also gets the 3 various three drive modes namely, Normal, Eco, and Power.

The Mirai accelerates nicely and smoothly, though not fast enough as it reaches 60 mph in 9 seconds. In the electric mode, the Mirai like the Prius is quiet excepting the tire noise and a slight humming.

The Mirai weights 4,056 pound and does feel heavy, but offers a very solid feel as well. Its electric motor is fed by the electricity produced by the chemical reaction between the compressed hydrogen from the Mirai’s twin-tanks and the oxygen found in the air.

The Mirai offers a very smooth and comfortable ride and offers a practical on road performance without any fuss. The fuel cells take a bit of a time to offer enough energy at higher speeds, thus at speeds above 26 mph, the Mirai supplements the hydrogen power along with power generated from its on-board 1.6 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery.

The Mirai creates an array of small noises unlike the Prius, but these are not disturbing, and the Mirai can be termed as an overall quiet car and offers a pleasant drive experience as a whole.

2016 Toyota Mirai

The Mirai has been doing the rounds in several global auto shows in its concept avatar which was known as the Toyota FCV concept. The vehicle gained high stardom in its concept form itself and enjoyed the shower of praises that came from the global auto enthusiasts. This vehicle is one of those rare cars from Toyota that gained equal praises for its great technology, capabilities and its design as well.

Such a great vehicle, the Mirai has finally launched in the market, but the sad part is that the car could not be noticed in most of the Toyota dealerships in Japan. The reason behind this is that, the Japanese auto giant will produce just around 700 units of the Mirai in the first year. Moreover, the car’s first customers will not be individuals, but several government organizations as was revealed last month by Toyota’s Executive Vice President Masamoto Maekawa.

The Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also volunteered as the car’s key promotional role as he named the Mirai at a news conference on 15^th of December and called it the “ultimate eco car.” Shinzo Abe also said that the deregulation by his government will make sure that more hydrogen stations are built in Japan and the customers show interest in it to ensure the car’s success in the market.

The Toyota Mirai is a truly futuristic car fully justifying its name. The car uses hydrogen as its fuel and is propelled by electricity that is created by the chemical reaction between hydrogen and the naturally found oxygen. The process of curse releases only water vapor and heat as the only emissions, making it a cent percent eco friendly and pollution free car.

Toyota Motor has priced the Mirai in Japan at Y7.2 million (equivalent to $61,000). With subsidies in place, the Mirai will be offered with a selling price of Y5.2 million. The new Toyota Mirai is slated to launch in the U.S market in 2015.

Toyota has set itself very modest sales target of only 400 units of Mirai in Japan by the end of 2015, and 3,000 units in the U.S by end of 2017 and 50 to 100 units per year in Europe.

However, these sales targets for the Mirai are set only for the first few years, as after the year 2020 Toyota plans to sell bulk amounts of the car per year.

The initial exclusivity of the Toyota Mirai will result in lengthy waiting periods for the car, and some customers could have to wait for over a year in Japan. Toyota has already received domestic orders of over 400 Mirai units, exceeding its first year sales target.

Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell

The construction of Mirai is happening the established parent unit, and the vast sum of $156 million which 20 billion yen is triggered by the awareness and demand of the public and corporate sector. It is a full-fledged development and Toyota aims to increase the number of hydrogen and fuel cell tanks manufactured at the headquartered unit in Aichi Prefecture.

Toyota’s aim at the moment is to develop a vast scale of hydrogen fuel cell stacks to drive mass sale of Mirai, and to achieve the desired outcome. Majority of the orders are coming from public and corporate sectors, and the demand from customers is significantly lesser. The Japanese government has allotted over $20,000 worth of resources to promote hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Mirai is a relatively new project and the demand for it is pretty enormous, Toyota had earlier planned to sell the car in limited numbers, despite the increased request, the company will continue to sell 400 units in Japan by the end phase of 2015, and the desired growth in Europe is between 50 and 100 cars before the end of 2016. The concept of hydrogen fuel cell systems may sound innovative and practical, but the major task lies in the development of hydrogen fuel station, and the company eyes California to be an attractive destination to build hydrogen fuel cell stations. Toyota is eyeing California to be a hub for gigantic Mirai sales, and by the end of 2017 it hopes to roll out 3,000 vehicles.

The whole world is familiar with the impact of eco-friendly vehicles, but its presence on the road is not yet on par with conventional fuels. The concept of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles sounds simple and practical and it can be referred to as zero emission vehicle, there is yet a significant factor that needs to be thought of, which is the construction of hydrogen fuel cell stations. Hybrid vehicles are on the move, and electric charge stations are established, but with hydrogen fuel cell vehicles it is a magnificent task at hand.

It will be interesting to view, how fuel cell vehicles develop in the near future, and the inspiration lies in the power of hydrogen gas stations. Also acquiring hydrogen gas and storing it in fuel cell stacks is a major task. Analyzing the development of Mirai it is evident that Toyota is banking on efficient hydrogen fuel station construction in California, and just few years from now, we can actually experience the drive rhythm of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

The debatable topics about hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is, whether it can actually emit zero pure water through tail pipes, and the sustainability of hydrogen fuel during lengthy drives.

2016 Toyota Mirai

The fact remains that Toyota being the largest selling brand is of course creating great pollution through its innumerable conventional cars on the world’s roads. However, it is good to remember that Toyota is also a green car pioneer. The Japanese car maker dared to go against the market jeers and create the Prius Hybrid, the first mass produced hybrid car, just because the company felt that the world really needs greener cars. Hybrids became greatly popular in no time at all, but this did not stop Toyota, and it went on inventing more advanced green technology. Toyota is still the leading car maker in the global alternative fuel vehicles and is capably rivaled only by Tesla. Now, the Japanese car major is going ahead with its fully green Hydrogen fuel cell car, which probably has been Toyota’s another dream project.

Toyota certainly rolled out two new hybrids at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show, but its showstopper was the new hydrogen fuel cell vehicle which Toyota has finally christened as the Mirai.

Toyota’s moto is to offer a greener, cleaner and more convenient future mobility system, and the Mirai surely goes hand in hand with Toyota’s moto. The Mirai literally means “future” in Japanese and is a part of the company’s strategy to bring about a green revolution in the global auto industry.

The Toyota Mirai fuel cell does not only look alluringly futuristic, but is truly a car of the future. The hydrogen powered car can travel up to 300 miles on full tank, and can be fully refueled in less than five minutes. Being an ultimate green, it emits just water vapor into the atmosphere. The Mirai’s powertrain produces 153Hp and can reach 60mph in 9 seconds. Toyota has also made the car very safe with crash proof hydrogen tanks that have been extensively tested.

Of course, the hydrogen fuel pumps are still big question marks and can still create big hindrances in the Toyota Mirai as well as other fuel cell cars’ success. Thus, Toyota is also working hard to establish the hydrogen refuel station infrastructure.

The fuel cell vehicles are essentially driven by electricity, but instead of getting charged from a plug point or coupling the electric motor with a gasoline mill, the electricity in the fuel cell cars is created by the chemical reaction of mixing hydrogen with the oxygen present in the air. The Mirai is true green hydrogen fuel car offering smooth, serene, pollution free driving experience along with unlimited range with refuels and a great conventional car feel as well. This car doesn’t get any better. And if Mirai gets even half as popular as the Prius, the world will be become greener.

Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell

Toyota had earlier spoken of its forthcoming fuel cell vehicle car called Mirai, and for some amazing news, the cars will be on sale next month. There will only be few cars on sales and the estimated figure will be within the few hundred ranges, the vehicles will however come with a price.

The concept of a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is relatively new, and Toyota plans to take the sale process slowly. The principle behind the operation of fuel cell vehicle is a stack of hydrogen fuel cells are fitted into the car, it combines with atmospheric oxygen to form electricity that drives the vehicles, and the end result is an emission free gas.

The design structure of Mirai is as ground-breaking as fuel cell vehicle technology. It is a trendy and sporty four door car, and will be sold for a price of 6.7 million yen which is $57,600 without taxes. Toyota’s profit driving vision within the first year of sales is to roll out 400 units in Japan as well as 300 units worldwide.

The executive vice president of Toyota, Mitsuhisa Kato said, ‘’the popularity of fuel cell vehicles will gain momentum in the near future, we now plan to take our first step into this technology, and aim to be at the forefront level of research.’’ It is the compressed hydrogen gas that drives fuel cell vehicles, and the company has fitted two tanks of gas beneath the car. Honda is also manufacturing an innovative fuel cell vehicle and at the moment both firms are using the trial and error method to power the technology with the introduction of few models for sales.

Fuel cell vehicles packed with compressed hydrogen gas seem to be the best solution to drive eco-friendly power. It is an ancient concept that appears feasible and appropriate, the operation of the system may be simple and straightforward, but there are challenges to look into. It is a task to build hydrogen filling stations, and the infrastructure supporting capacity is limited, because all around the globe there are only about 12 stations and governments worldwide are finding effective measures to subsidize construction costs.

The deputy chief engineer in the department of next gen vehicle construction, Yoshikazu Tanaka said, ‘’ there are difficulties concerning the futuristic power of fuel cell vehicles, the primary concern is the possibility of offering the vehicle at a reasonable price, and second the construction of a range of sustainable hydrogen fuel filling infrastructure. According to his predictions it will take about ten to twenty years to achieve an impressive sale outcome of Mirai that reaches tens of thousands annually.’’

Mirai will be on sale next month and it looks stunning and the highlight of its exclusiveness is inscribed on sloping roof line and dynamic side ridges.

Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell

The phrase Mirai sounds catchy and high-tech; it surely is and means ‘future’ in Japanese. How would it feel to test drive a hydrogen fuel cell powered car, it is exhilarating beyond imagination, and a detailed description of the vehicle is revealed. Mirai is the car of the future, and sitting inside will transform you into the future; let’s unravel the futuristic mysteries of the car.

Design:

The significance of the term Mirai is future, and one would think of a vehicle that looks nothing like the present range of cars, and that’s the thought process of the Managing officer of Toyota Motor Corporation, Satoshi Ogiso, and the car does look ultramodern. On the front is an aggressive hood that is constructed in an exceptionally innovative manner to an extent that the vehicle appears to be floating mid aid, the head lights are strikingly attractive moulded in the form of multi-bulb structures. The highlight of design elegance is engraved on the huge twin vents on both sides of front bumper.

A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle functions with the aid of a stack of hydrogen fuel cells that combines with atmospheric oxygen that drives the car. To accommodate the mechanism the vents such in huge quantities of oxygen that later merge with hydrogen gas to produce electricity. The primary advantage of the process is zero gas emission and the residual waste consists of harmless water vapour released from tailpipe.

Interiors:

Now what would the interiors of the space-age Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle look like? Consumers will get a Prius feel from the driver’s compartment, on top of the professionally designed dashboard is a slender instrument panel and on the centre stack is a classy touch screen. There are touch controls and also a mini shifter identical to the one found on Prius cars.

There is an abundance of space inside, and the seats are covered with single piece upholstery to provide higher level of comfort, the passenger seat in front and driver’s cushion have eight way power controls. The high-tech technology infused into the car is Lane Keep and Adaptive Cruise Control.

Ride quality:

The feedback from a group of people about the ride quality of Mirai is, the vehicle is delightfully enjoyable, and the same will be felt by those who enjoy driving Camry or Prius hybrid. The car is driven by hydrogen tanks packed with fuel cell stack, fitted in place of the conventional combustion power train. The engine power of the car is similar to Prius, the electric engine generates 247lb ft torque and the fuel cell tank churns 153hp, and the highest attainable speed is 111mph. The acceleration power of the car is fierce; it covers a distance of 0 to 60 in only 9 seconds.

Price:

Toyota plans to first test the extent of consumer adaptability, before offering the car to the public. The company will roll out 200 units first in California, to customers who are certain and confident of efficiently driving the car, by 2017 the firm expects to produce 3000 Mirai cars.