While it certainly won't win any design awards, the Toyota Mirai, the world's first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, has laid claim to another first - the only zero-emissions electric vehicle to exceed 480km range on one fill.
Instead of using petrol, the Mirai runs on electricity created on demand by hydrogen fuel and oxygen, with the only emission produced by this process being water vapour.
In a test, it proved it can go the distance, achieving 3,5 litres per 100 km in official US combined city/highway driving calculations. Based on this figure Toyota have calculated that the Mirai has an estimated driving range of 502 km on a single tank – a distance further than for any other zero-emissions car on the market.
Jim Lentz, Toyota North America CEO 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.”
Following its home launch in Japan and, and imminent roll-out in California, USA this summer, Toyota will introduce the Mirai in limited numbers to the UK and other selected European markets later this year.
