The hydrogen fuel cell-powered Toyota Mirai is the only zero emissions car one can buy that can go more than 480 km without refueling.
According to CarsUK, Toyota is already increasing production of the hydrogen fuel cell-powered Mirai as demand exceeds supply–even before customer cars arrive outside Japan. Buyers look for a car that can deliver zero emissions (at the point of use) without nagging range anxiety.
But having a successful car on your hands–even though sales will be small in numbers–is about continuing to ram the message home to potential buyer–just as Toyota has done for a decade with the hybrid Prius–to make sure potential buyers do not ignore the unique selling point.
That is why Toyota has declared that Mirai can go further than any other zero emissions car on the market, proclaiming it to be the only such car that can go more than 480 km on a single fill, thanks to its equivalent of 101 km/h giving it a range of 490 km.
Of course, all Toyota would need to do to make it go further still is fit a bigger fuel tank–a lot more affordable than adding more batteries to a BEV, and a lot cheaper.
But it does demonstrate that driving a hydrogen fuel cell car gives you a similar experience to driving an ICE car; one only need to stop and refuel, and they can continue on their journey.
It is a very sensible selling proposition to demonstrate for Toyota, but it will be a while before there is a proper refueling infrastructure for hydrogen-powered cars, and perhaps longer still until the hydrogen you buy is delivered without big CO2 costs involved in its production.
