Toyota have announced it will launch its all-new Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in Japan on 15th December, before introducing it in the UK and other selected European markets in September 2015.
The Mirai – meaning future in Japanese – is powered by hydrogen, an important future energy source capable of generating electric power and delivering better environmental performance. The car is aptly named as Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles are said to be the future of the automotive industry and the release of the Mirai is likely to be a landmark in the history of car production.
The benefits of hydrogen are clear, it can be generated from many different natural sources and man-made by products – even sewage sludge. It can also be created from water using natural, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.
Toyota’s Mirai uses the Toyota Fuel Cell System (TFCS), which brings together fuel cell and hybrid technologies. It includes Toyota’s new, proprietary fuel cell stack and high-pressure hydrogen tanks. The TFCS is more energy efficient than internal combustion engines and emits no CO2 or pollutants when the vehicle is driven – with its only by-product being water.
Toyota say they expect to produce 50 to 100 cars a year in 2015 and 2016, however pricing for the Mirai has yet to be announced.