Toyota's fuel cell Mirai gets a new, luxurious look
The car looks fantastic and the car manufacturer is aiming for an increase in range of 30% thanks to advances in powertrain and larger capacity hydrogen tanks. Toyota only hopes that it will be able to sell this car in more places than the current locals in California and the island of Oahu (they are the only places with hydrogen stations).
During a presentation earlier this week in North Carolina, the automaker was closed with most of the actual technical specifications of the upcoming Mirai from 2021[ads1] other than the car being rear-wheel drive, quieter and more "engaging" behind the wheel. We have to wait for actual range numbers from the EPA, but if Toyota can subtract 30 percent range, it should keep the vehicle on the road for about 400 miles between tanks. Important for a vehicle with limited places to fill up.
The latest Mirai should be in showrooms by the end of 2020. It will join an increasing number of electrified Toyota vehicles. Over the past year, we've seen Carolla and Rav4 get a few batteries pushed into the frames for increased miles per gallon.
What we have not seen from the car manufacturer is a car electric vehicle (BEV) road map for the United States. The carmaker has plans for BEVs in China as of next year, but is the mum on when a battery-electric hit American shores. Sticking to hybrids (including the best-selling Prius) makes sense for the company that popularized the powertrain.
Toyota BEVs come to the United States. We just don't know when and instead, the carmaker will continue to rely on a fuel-fuel infrastructure that continues to underestimate growth. "I don't want to deny that we have had some frustration with the development," said Doug Murtha, vice president of business strategy and planning. But the company continues to see fuel cells as the future, and Murtha said he hoped that when the new Mirai comes on the market, they will see more network stability and more stations.
But it does not put all hope on just one drive. The company announced plans to create an electrified version of each car in its series by 2025.
Toyota has been working on hydrogen fuel cell technology started at the same time. So it has been an interesting long r oad to get to this point. When I drove the Mirai a few years back, I noticed that it was actually a Camry, which was a compliment. But this new car seems to bring fuel cells into the luxury world in a well-designed package. It's a car to look ahead too, and it could be a hit if the fuel-fuel infrastructure finally gathers it and gives people outside California and Hawaii a chance to try an electric car that doesn't need to plug into a wall. [19659014]
