Toyota cooking on gas

Orders bonanza in Japan for the Mirai – Toyota’s first hydrogen-powered production car.

The ground-breaking Mirai has clocked up 1,500 orders in its first month on sale in Japan.

Due for introduction in the UK later this year, the FCEV (fuel cell electric vehicle) has far exceeded expectations – Toyota’s initial plan was to sell about 400 units by the end of this year.

The bad news is that some early adopters will experience longer waits for delivery than originally expected.

The orders taken so far divide roughly 60:40 between government/fleet customers and private individuals.

Toyota’s Mirai introduces zero-emissions driving. The car’s motor is powered by electricity generated through a chemical reaction between air-borne oxygen and hydrogen in an on-board fuel cell.  The only tailpipe emission is water.

To help encourage the development of hydrogen-fuelled vehicles, Toyota recently made thousands of its global hydrogen fuel cell patents available to others, free of any royalties.