Toyota launches Mirai fuel cell vehicle in America

Toyota has officially launched its hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle, calling it the Mirai. Akio Toyoda himself announced the name, which means “future” in Japanese. The new car uses hydrogen as its fuel, and emits only pure water from its tailpipe. The Mirai can reportedly travel up to 480 km on a single tank of hydrogen and refuel in less than five minutes.

Akio Toyoda said in his address, “Our fuel cell vehicle runs on hydrogen that can be made from virtually anything, even garbage! It has a fuel cell that creates enough electricity to power a house for about a week. This is a car that lets you have it all with no compromises. As a test driver, I knew this new fuel cell vehicle had to be truly fun to drive – and believe me, it is. It has a low center of gravity, which gives it very dynamic handling.” So, it will be similar to the Mr. Fusion-equipped DeLorean, except for the flying and time-travel parts (for now).

The key obstacle of course is finding a hydrogen refueling station. Toyota announced that supplier Air Liquide will supply 12 hydrogen stations in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The sites will act as the backbone for a planned “hydrogen highway” in the U.S. Northeast.

Toyota is already working to put up 19 hydrogen fueling stations in California. The Japanese price of the Mirai was previously announced at 7 million yen ($60,000, or P2.7 million).