WASHINGTON – Toyota is investing a lot in the new Mirai, expected to be the world's first mass-market, hydrogen-powered all-electric vehicle. The four-door sedan will go on sale in California later this year, retailing for around $60,000.
In a recent column, Washington Post business reporter Drew Harwell wrote about his experience driving a Mirai prototype, describing the vehicle as “Well, boring: a smooth, quiet, mid-size sedan you wouldn't find out of place in a school pick-up circle. And that's what makes it so fascinating.”
Harwell went on to describe the Mirai (whose name means “future” in Japanese) as “responsive, futuristic, fully featured and fun to drive, the kind of car you can see beating gas guzzlers at their own game.” Acknowledging that there may be a long road ahead when it comes to acceptance of fuel cell vehicles, not the least of which is Tesla founder Elon Musk’s frequent and loud criticisms of the technology, Harwell provides a personal cheat sheet of sorts for those interested to know more about the Mirai.
The article addresses issues such as the current scarcity of hydrogen fueling stations: 10 in California, one in Connecticut and one in South Carolina. While more stations are in development (particularly on the West Coast), there’s not likely to be a reliable fueling infrastructure to support the Mirai anytime soon. For NACS’s take on the future of hydrogen vehicles, read last year’s NACS Magazine article, “Fuel for Thought.”
And, despite touting the car’s mass-market potential, Toyota is expecting to sell only around 3,000 of the vehicles in America by the end of 2017. Ford sells about that many F-150 trucks in a single day, write Harwell.
One thing about the Mirai that may set it apart from its competitors (including Tesla) is the car’s 300-mile range, which may finally alleviate many of the “range anxiety” issues that have plagued electric vehicles. When it does need to refuel — assuming the driver is within range of once of the nation’s few hydrogen stations — the process will take only five minutes, similar to traditional fueling. “That could go a long way to making cleaner, greener cars more accepted by mainstream drivers,” says Harwell.
The reporter went on to describe the prototype car’s ride as pretty much the same as any other car, “handling like a pro, accelerating smoothly, responding quickly and braking with ease” through the various challenges of Washington, D.C.-area driving. That said, he concluded that it's still very unclear whether the car will ever take off, despite the power of Toyota behind it.