Toyota Mirai Fuel-Cell Vehicle 5 Minutes just for 300 Miles

Toyota Mirai Fuel-Cell Vehicle 5 Minutes just for 300 Miles

It sounds almost saccharine, the unbridled confidence with which Toyota executives mention alternative fuels as well as the future. Take, for example, the closing notes of President and CEO Akio Toyoda’s announcement in a press event in Newport Beach, Calif., leading up to the Los Angeles Auto Show, in which he stated the name of the company’s new hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, the Mirai.

Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) stated it’s preferred the name “Mirai,” this means “future” in Japanese, for a fuel-cell powered sedan that travels 300 miles (483 kilometers) with a hydrogen tank that can be refilled in under five minutes. The car is expected to retail for the equivalent of around $60,000 once it goes on sale in Japan, in which it will qualify for a $20,000 government rebate. It is likely to retail for a similar amount in the U.S.

Toyota continues to be the most outspoken proponent of hydrogen fuel-cell autos as the proper zero-emission solution for future transport. The autos emit just water vapor since oxygen from the air is mixed with hydrogen fuel to make electric power in the fuel cell.

To improve advertise fuel-cell sales, California designs to install over 50 hydrogen fuel stations within couple of years, partly with finance support from Toyota and other automakers. Toyota may even start working with Paris-based Air Liquide SA to build 12 fueling stations in five northeastern U.S. states, the company explained in its announcement.