The Toyota Mirai Hydrogen Fuel Cell Saloon: The Complete Guide For India

---

• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Instagram

---

Electric Cars: The Basics

---

For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

---

Sign up to the newsletter

---

The Toyota Mirai Hydrogen Saloon

---

Toyota Motor Corporation, known simply as Toyota, is a leading global automotive company. The company is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world and is headquartered in Aichi, Japan. The company has already established an enviable track record for the development and marketing of environment friendly hybrid vehicles.

Toyota has one of the largest portfolios of mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEVs), currently 11 hybrid models. It is also a world leader in fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

Toyota is not new to hydrogen technology, and in fact, the Japanese automotive manufacturer has been developing hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) since 1996. The Mirai first-generation was launched in 2014 and the second-generation unveiled in 2019. In Japanese, Mirai means ‘future’.

For those new to hydrogen electric cars, yes, a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), also known as fuel cell vehicle (FCV) or hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, is an electric vehicle (EV). In a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) i.e. an all-electric car, the vehicle is powered by an onboard EV battery, while in a FCEV, the EV is powered using a fuel cell stack, that generates electricity through a chemical process involving oxygen and compressed hydrogen.

Yes, you guessed it correctly. There is no internal combustion engine (ICE) in a FCEV. Yes, ICE is the technology that powers conventional petrol and diesel cars. FCEVs are not recharged like BEVs. Instead, FCEVs are refuelled with hydrogen, just like filling up a tank of fuel in a conventional car. In both, a hydrogen-fuelled car and an all-electric battery car, the wheels are driven by electric motors.

FCEVs have a tailpipe, unlike 100% battery-electric vehicles, that do not have a tailpipe. However, the tailpipe in a FCEV only emits water vapour (a by-product of the process within the fuel stack) and no pollutants. FCEVs have a fuel tank for filling hydrogen, while BEVs have no fuel tank.  A battery-electric vehicle has an onboard EV battery.

The mid-sized Mirai hydrogen electric car has a 142.2 L tank capacity with a claimed zero-emission electric range up to 575 km on a full tank. Just like battery-electric cars, the real-world electric range will be impacted by a number of factors, to include: driving speed, driving profile, weather conditions, tyre size, onboard services used, passenger load etc. Expect the real-world range to be lower than the claimed range. In any case, the hydrogen electric car has impressive e-range!

One of the key advantages of hydrogen electric cars versus battery-electric cars, is that, FCEVs are refuelled in the same manner as a convention petrol or diesel car. The Mirai hydrogen car can be fully refuelled within 5 minutes at a dedicated hydrogen refuelling station.

The Mirai has a 5.6 kg tank. However, the infrastructure for hydrogen fuelling is still nascent globally, and India is no different. The lack of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure continues to remain a barrier for the adoption of hydrogen electric cars.

In terms of performance, the front-wheel drive Toyota Mirai hydrogen car can achieve 0-100 km/h in 9.2 seconds. The maximum power delivered by the FCEV is 182 hp and 300 Nm torque. The top speed is 175 km/h.

The four-door hydrogen saloon has a comfortable interior, however, the sloping roofline does impact the available headroom for the rear seat passengers. Moreover, the rear visibility is also impacted. The EV offers a 278 L boot space.

The automotive manufacturers offers a number of features and technology, to include: Toyota Touch® 2 with Go Navigation, Toyota Touch® 2 multimedia system, smartphone integration (Apple CarPlay & Android Auto), reversing camera, pre-collision system with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure alert (LDA) with steering control, road sign assist (RSA) and more.

Bottom-line, all forms of electric cars are good for the environment and the wallet!

---

PROS	CONS
Good electric range	Limited public hydrogen refuelling infrastructure
Quick to refuel	Expensive
Comfortable and refined drive	Limited boot space and headroom in the rear impacted by the sloping roofline

---

The Toyota Mirai Hydrogen Fuel Cell Saloon (credit: Toyota)

---

At A Glance
EV Type:	Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)
Body Type:	Saloon
Engine:	Hydrogen-Electric
Available In India:	No

---

Variants (1 Option)
Toyota Mirai (from ₹ N/A)

---

Tank Capacity & Emissions
Fuel Tank Capacity (L):	142.2
Refuelling:	5 minutes
Tailpipe Emissions:	0g (CO2/km)
Warranty:	10 years or 160,000 km

---

Dimensions
Height (mm):	1470
Width (mm):	1885
Length (mm):	4975
Wheelbase (mm):	2920
Turning Radius (m):	5.8
Boot Space (L):	278

---

Mirai
Fuel Tank Capacity (L):	142.2
Pure Electric Range (MPG WLTP):	575 km
Electric Energy Consumption (kWh/100 km):	N/A
Refuelling:	5 mins
Top Speed:	175 km/h
0-100 km/h:	9.2 seconds
Drive:	Front-wheel drive (FWD)
Max Power (DIN hp):	182
Torque (Nm):	300
Transmission:	Automatic
Seats:	5
Doors:	4
Kerb Weight (kg):	1,900-1,905
Colours:	7
NCAP Safety Rating:	Five-Star

---

Which Is Better For India? A PHEV or BEV?

---

For those new to electric driving, it is a question asked often by aspiring buyers for electric cars. Should I buy a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV)? For those new to electric cars, a BEV is more commonly referred to as a pure electric car.

A BEV is ‘pure’, in that, the electric vehicle (EV) only uses electric power for propulsion i.e. a BEV does not have an internal combustion engine (ICE). It is easy to recognise these zero-tailpipe emission green cars, as these e-vehicles are silent (except for the artificial noise), and do not have a tailpipe (exhaust)! Moreover, in India, EVs also have a green license plate, so easy to identify!

In comparison, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), combines the technologies used in both, a pure electric car and a conventional internal combustion (ICE) vehicle, to increase fuel efficiency and reduce tailpipe emissions. A PHEV incorporates an electric motor, an onboard EV battery and an internal combustion engine (ICE), to propel the electric vehicle (EV).

The development and maturity of pure electric cars over the past decade has been staggering. The first-generation modern electric cars, like the all-electric Nissan Leaf (2010), incorporated a 24 kWh onboard EV battery, with an emission-free electric range up to 112 km. Move forward a decade, and the latest pure electric cars incorporate an EV battery, even larger than 100 kWh and offer an electric range (WLTP) over 500 km.

Even, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), have witnessed much improvement, in both, electric range and reduced tailpipe emissions. Excellent examples are the latest-generation Range Rover PHEV and Range Rover Sport PHEV. Both these plug-in hybrid electric SUVs incorporate a 38.2 kWh on board EV battery with a 115 km (WLTP) pure electric range. Moreover, the tailpipe emission from the PHEV, are as low as 18g (CO2/km). A significant reduction compared to the previous generation of plug-in electric cars, and of course, far lower emissions compared to a conventional petrol or diesel car!

In general, we at e-zoomed, always recommend choosing a BEV, instead of a PHEV, given the superior environmental credentials of a pure electric car i.e. zero-tailpipe emissions. However, we do understand that certain circumstances may require a PHEV. In particular, countries like India, where the public EV charging infrastructure is still at a nascent stage, compared to more developed electric driving markets, like Norway and the UK. Having said that, it is worth noting that the majority of electric cars are charged at home and overnight! In India, we can certainly expect the same!

We encourage families and companies keen to migrate to electric cars in India, to consider, carefully their needs, to conclude which type of electric car is a better option. Below are two key factors to consider!

---

BEV Or PHEV: Top 2 Factors To Consider
Distance travelled (km):	In general, most car journeys are short. Hardly surprising, given the type of regular commutes done on a daily basis. School-runs, commute to the office, meeting family members, going to the local market, gym etc. Especially for those of us living in cities and towns, the distanced travelled is limited. One can assume, that the average distanced covered by a vehicle in India is between 50 km – 75 km. It is not often, that we drive long distances. For example, how often do residents in the NCR region drive to Jaipur (300 km)? Most of the latest pure electric cars, to include, those available in India, can easily meet the day-to-day needs. So, do you really need a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle? Well, if you are one of the few, travelling significant distances on a daily basis (like the 300 km trip to Jaipur), then, considering a PHEV is prudent. However, if you travel long distances infrequently, then you can always borrow a conventional petrol or diesel car from you mother-in-law, for the occasional long-distance trip!
EV Charging:	Given that the majority of EV charging is done at home, via a dedicated EV charger, charging an electric car is not usually that challenging. In fact, in India, EV owners are also charging their cars at the office. For those of you that don’t have access to a dedicated EV charger, either at home or the workplace, then a PHEV is worth considering. This also applies to those that travel long-distances and do not have access to public fast EV charging stations (AC or DC fast chargers). Lastly, though an electric car can be charged via a domestic plug socket, we encourage installing a dedicated smart EV charger. It is faster and safer to use a smart EV charger.

---

While e-zoomed uses reasonable efforts to provide accurate and up-to-date information, some of the information provided is gathered from third parties and has not been independently verified by e-zoomed. While the information from the third party sources is believed to be reliable, no warranty, express or implied, is made by e-zoomed regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of this information.

---

Related articles

---