Toyota India has announced its collaboration with MoRTH, which will help in reducing the carbon footprint release. As a part of this, MoRTH has consented to propagate the FCEV Mirai during this pilot study happening in Delhi. As a part of the collaboration, Toyota has signed MoU with the Government automotive testing agency, ICAT (International Centre for Automotive Technology). Under this, ICAT will study and evaluate Mirai, which runs on hydrogen, on Indian roads and climatic conditions. The findings in this study will bring in more data that will help determine the outcomes and other possibilities.
This is an excellent step in boosting the morale of the working personnel and all the stakeholder associated. This is the stepping stone to achieving a hydrogen-based society, thus propelling the country to move away from fossil fuels. With the automotive sector shifting towards electric, automakers are looking for innovations to speed up the transition process.
Currently, in its second generation, this is Toyota’s first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle. Built at Toyota Kirloskar Motors’ manufacturing facility in Karnataka, it was first unveiled globally in December 2020. As per Toyota, the car can run up to 646 km on a full tank, wherein the refuelling would take 5 minutes. In simple terms, Mirai gets a high-pressure hydrogen fuel tank and an electric motor. The powertrain then breaks the hydrogen into oxygen and water, thus generating energy from it. Contrary to ICE vehicles that emit harmful gases from their tailpipe, Mirai releases water.
The Indian government, along with EVs, is also exploring the option of hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative fuel solution. Toyota Mirai will take the responsibility of spreading the awareness of hydrogen, thus encouraging more contribution in terms of research and development in this domain. Hydrogen fuel could help decarbonise a host of sectors in the Indian economy, with road transportation being the major sector.
Also Read: Toyota Mirai clocks 1,003 kms on hydrogen, sets world record.