Toyota Mirai shatters 1,000-kilometre range barrier

A Toyota Mirai has covered more than 1,000 kilometres – or a huge 621 miles – on a single tank of fuel, easily beating the previous long-distance record for a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

The journey, undertaken in France during Paris de l’hydrogène – an exhibition on hydrogen and renewable energies – started in Orly and covered 1,003 kilometres of public roads in the Loir-et-Cher and Indre-et-Loire areas, with the distance and fuel consumption certified by an independent authority.

Green hydrogen was used to fuel the Mirai and overall consumption was measured at 0.55 kg/100km. Upon completing the challenge, the Mirai was refuelled within five minutes.

The previous hydrogen fuel cell range record of 778 km (484 miles) was set in May 2021 by a Hyundai Nexo.

“It’s an amazing result that we achieved with the new Mirai. One that embodies the mindset of Toyota’s Start your Impossible mentality of going beyond our own limits. This drives us and we proved it again today,” said Frank Marotte, CEO of Toyota France.

The new Mirai is the second-generation fuel cell electric vehicle from Toyota. It offers enhanced driving performance, better fuel efficiency, a 30 per cent greater range and a price tag almost 25 per cent lower than its predecessor.

The increased efficiency of the fuel cell system, coupled with a 1 kg increase in hydrogen capacity gives the Mirai a certified range of approximately 650 kilometres (400 miles), under normal driving conditions.

While the 1,000-kilometre marker was broken by Toyota’s drivers adopting an economical driving style, no techniques were used that could not be replicated in everyday driving.