While the world is still debating and trying to find out the fuel of the future between electricity and hydrogen, Toyota is up to something exciting. The Japanese carmaker has made a world record for the longest range ever achieved by a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle on a single fill of hydrogen. The second-generation iteration of the Toyota Mirai was used for the record-breaking exercise. The zero-emission sedan covered 1,359.9 km on a single fill of hydrogen. Impressive, isn’t it?
During the attempt, Toyota Mirai was driven by a professional hypermiler – Wayne Gedes. The complete attempt took two consecutive days, as the vehicle was driven around Southern California on day 1, covering 761.22 km. On day 2, Wayne Gedes covered 589.6 km. Also, Toyota reveals that the Mirai was driven mainly during the rush hours for this test to make the scenarios as realistic as possible.
Speaking on this achievement, Bob Carter, Executive Vice President, Toyota Motor North America, quoted, “In 2016, the Toyota Mirai was the first production fuel cell electric vehicle available for retail sale in North America, and now the next generation Mirai is setting distance records. We are proud to be leaders of this exciting technology, which is just one of a growing lineup of zero emission vehicles in our portfolio.”
The second-gen Toyota Mirai is currently on sale in select international markets only. It uses an improved fuel cell stack for increased range and performance than the first-gen model. The hydrogen fuel cell saloon boasts a peak power output of 172 Hp and 300 Nm of max torque. It offers a driving range of 647 km. Most importantly, the sedan can be refuelled in just 5 minutes. In the USA, Toyota is selling the Mirai with complimentary fuel for the next five years or worth USD 15,000. The Mirai gets a mid-mounted motor that powers the rear wheels.
