Toyota Mirai let off steam
The Toyota Mirai, the embodiment of the dream of generating energy for an electric motor through the reaction of oxygen and hydrogen, is named with the
symbolic name "Mirai", which means "future" in Japanese. The second generation, which will enter the European market in March 2021, is attractive not only in appearance and greater autonomy, but also in price. The second-generation Toyota Mirai model, created on the new Toyota Global platform, can travel up to 650 kilometers using 1 tank of fuel. Such an achievement and the “refueling process" itself, which takes less than five minutes, will make pure battery electric vehicle drivers jealous.
Toyota’s engineering team has achieved a 30 percent increase in the range of the new Mirai compared to the first generation through an improved, more compact and lighter fuel cell system and an optimized drivetrain layout. These changes made it possible not only to create additional space for a third hydrogen tank, but also to put a third passenger in the back. The previous four-seater became a five-seater.
The power of the electric motor has increased from 154 hp. up to 182 hp, maximum torque is 300 Nm. The new Toyota Mirai accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.2 seconds and has a top speed of 175 km/h.
Hard frosts do not frighten this futuristic car, because according to a statement from Toyota Mirai, it starts up without problems even at minus 30 degrees. Nor does it fear a quick loss of autonomy due to interior heating, as often happens in battery electric vehicles, since the waste heat from the fuel cell is used in the Mirai to warm passengers.
After pressing the start button, the 4.97-meter-long test car in a striking Hydro-Blue hue fired up and elegantly alerted unsuspecting pedestrians of its approach at 30 km/h with special horns. Then there was silence in the perfectly insulated cabin, except for a slight hiss under hard acceleration.
In sport mode, the steering and accelerator are noticeably more responsive, while the electric motor distributes its power to the rear wheels via a continuously variable transmission, delivering powerful momentum.
In fact, the Mirai is more suited to the role of a soft glider than the role of a quick daredevil around corners. In normal mode, the 1.9-ton sedan floats gently, comfortably, but not loosely, on hilly country roads. Comfortable front and rear seats with a wheelbase of 2.92 meters provide ample head and legroom for passengers.
The trunk houses one of three carbon-fiber-reinforced, nearly indestructible hydrogen tanks, reducing loading space to 271 litres. You will have to carefully consider the size of the luggage and perhaps postpone something, because this is the price for the most advanced environmental technologies, since the Mirai also turns into a rolling air filter when traveling. For a fuel cell to work particularly efficiently, it needs air. The cleaner the better. In the Toyota-designed air intake filter, an electrically charged nonwoven element captures even microscopic particles, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and fine dust.
In addition to purified air, water vapor is generated in the fuel cell process. It is automatically drained through a special wastewater pipe instead of a normal exhaust pipe. Or, at the push of a button, the steam is spectacularly vented outside via the H2O switch in the cab.
The further expansion of the network of filling stations is part of the EU’s hydrogen strategy, at the moment, for example, there are 90 freely accessible filling stations for hydrogen in Germany. Given the decent autonomy of fuel cell vehicles, these stations are enough to make a well-planned journey through Germany from north to south and from west to east.
Starting at €63,900, the second generation Mirai costs around €15,000 less than its predecessor.
Specifications Toyota Mirai:
– Length / width / height: 4.97 / 1.88 / 1.47 meters
– Electric motor power: 134 kW / 182 hp, max. torque 300 Nm
– Fuel cell power: 128 kW / 174 hp
— Type of high-voltage battery: lithium-ion
– Rated voltage of the high-voltage battery: 310.8 V.
– Battery capacity / range: 1.24 kWh / 650 km (according to WLTP)
– Acceleration: 9.2 s from 0 to 100 km / h
– Maximum speed: 175 km / h
– Price: from 63900 euros