The Toyota Mirai Makes East Coast Debut at DC Auto Show

The Mirai is the first-generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The all brand-new Mirai 2016 has a range of up to 300 miles, takes about 5 minutes to refuel and discharges only water vapor. It will go on sale in the US later this year.  Moving ahead, Toyota has called for a greater effort from the government and industry to make these vehicles available to more customers.

“Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles launched between 2015 and 2020 will require a concerted effort and collaboration between automakers, government regulators, academia and energy providers,” said Nihar Patel, Toyota's Vice President of North American Business Strategy.

At the DC Auto Show, Nihar Patel, Toyota’s Vice President of North American Business Strategy, noted that consumers who purchase plug-in electric vehicles receive a $7,500 tax credit, while buyers of fuel cell electric vehicles do not. This is due to the expiration of the federal fuel cell credit, and Patel worries that this may cripple the potential of the hydrogen fuel cell market.

Also, Toyota announced that by the end of 2017, it will boost global capacity of the Mirai to more than 5,700. Most of the refueling stations are currently located in California. The automaker has partnered with Air Liquid to expand stations in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. 

These states and locations have been strategically selected to support the greater New York and Boston areas as well as provide the backbone of a hydrogen highway for the Northeast corridor. The company has plans concerning hydrogen infrastructure, adding to this, Patel said the company planned to talk with Maryland’s new governor and the new mayor of Washington about the hydrogen infrastructure in the mid-Atlantic region. 

“Hopefully, by sharing our patents with other vehicle and parts manufacturers, components and systems can be refined and improved to increase performance, reduce cost and attract a much broader mainstream market of buyers.” 

“Consumers and the investment community need a clear signal that government is not choosing winners or losers in the zero emission vehicle race.  These vehicles should be treated equally to allow the market to decide,” he said.