Those who cover long distances usually have to plan several time-consuming charging breaks with purely electric cars. The situation is different with a fuel cell vehicle like the Toyota Mirai: the four-door sedan drives – without any local emissions – around 500 kilometers in everyday operation until a three to five minute fuel stop is necessary. The hydrogen-powered model, whose fuel cell generates electrical energy for the 113 kW / 154 hp electric motor, is therefore an alternative for use outside of cities.
Japan has been relying on hydrogen for the energy and mobility transition for some time now. But is hydrogen mobility suitable for everyday use in Germany too? This question also concerned the Ambassador of Japan, Takeshi Yagi. For this reason, the Japanese embassy tested the Toyota Mirai in their fleet for two weeks.
“Japan is on the way to the Hydrogen Society. I am therefore very pleased to be able to test the technology here in Germany and to convince myself of its suitability for everyday use. Berlin with its five hydrogen filling stations offers an excellent basis for using this technology. Germany and Japan should further intensify cooperation in this area,” said Japanese ambassador Takeshi Yagi.
Driving fuel cell technology is part of the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 sustainability program. The Japanese automaker set out a number of long-term goals for reducing the CO2 emissions of its vehicles and its factories. The Toyota Mirai, whose model name was derived from the Japanese word for future, came on the market in 2014 and more than 10,000 vehicles have been handed over to Toyota customers worldwide since then. With the commissioning of a new production facility for fuel cell stacks and hydrogen tanks, the annual production capacity can be increased tenfold to up to 30,000 units per year and the growing demand from the pioneering hydrogen mobility can be met.
