Toyota has set a new world record for the longest distance travelled using a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle. In 2014 Toyota introduced to the world the power of Hydrogen Fuel with the Mirai sedan. In 2019, Toyota introduced the second-generation Mirai at the Tokyo Motor Show, showcasing advanced zero-emission fuel-cell electric vehicle technology.
Toyota Mirai
The brand had announced that the 2nd generation Mirai would come with a range of 500 km on a full tank of hydrogen fuel, and the only tailpipe emission would be pure water. The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) takes only minutes to fuel up as well. The brand also announced that it is increasing Mirai’s driving range by more than 30% through improvements in the fuel cell system and larger onboard hydrogen tanks.
The World Record
Now the Toyota Mirai has set a new world record by traversing the 1,000 km mark using Hydrogen fuel. On 26th May 2021, the record-setting Toyota Mirai set off from the HYSETCO hydrogen station in Orly, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris. The team then drove the Mirai on public roads, south of Paris and in the Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire areas. The Adjudicators recorded that the Toyota Mirai completed 1,003 km on a single tank with zero tailpipe emissions.
Green Hydrogen and the Team
Toyota also boasts the use of green Hydrogen for the record attempt. The Toyota Mirai was also able to store 5.6 kg of this green Hydrogen. Toyota also noted that the car’s average fuel consumption was 0.55 kg/100km. The brand revealed that the drivers adopted an “eco-driving” style on the Toyota Mirai without using any special techniques that everyday drivers could not replicate. Four drivers shared the distance: James Olden, an engineer at Toyota Motor Europe. Maxime le Hir, Mirai product manager and Marie Gadd, PR manager of Toyota France. The team of drivers also included Victorien Erussard, the founder and captain of Energy Observer.
Second-Generation Improvements
The second-generation Toyota Mirai features a more aerodynamic and sleeker design as well as new driving dynamics. The brand has also worked on the fuel cell system as well as increased the hydrogen storage capacity. This contributes to a driving range of around 650 km under usual driving conditions. The car is also capable of refuelling in just 5 minutes at a refuelling station with 700 bar of pressure.
Toyota Mirai Price
The Toyota Mirai in France is available from EUR 67,900 MSRP.
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