Introduction
So, we have driven the Toyota Mirai. And no, it isn’t heading to India just yet. For good reason too, because as a country we aren’t ready for cars powered with radically alternate fuel types. Sure, we have gas powered cars and thanks to Toyota, some hybrids as well. But, hydrogen powered cars? Now, that truly is far-fetched.
But, we did drive a production version of the car, which is currently on sale in Europe, the US and in Toyota’s own backyard, Japan. And along with local government participation in these countries, it has helped erect the relevant infrastructure for it too (read hydrogen refueling stations). Now, if Toyota’s long presentations on future mobility are to be believed, hydrogen powered cars truly are the future. Here’s why…
The concept
The idea behind embracing alternate fuel types is twofold. First, this will reduce our dependence on conventional fossil fuels, the reserves for which are depleting quicker than the contents of my liquor-filled chocolate jar.
So this is a how the hydrogen-powered Mirai works.
Under the hood is an engine. Not the ICE type, of course, but an electric motor along with a power control unit that utilises the electricity produced by the electrochemical reaction when hydrogen and oxygen are combined. The hydrogen comes from the high-pressure storage tank in the car while the oxygen is taken straight from ambient air. Besides electricity, this reaction also produces water, which, though hot, is perfectly portable. And there’s a button on the dash marked ‘H2O’ to deliver that water when one chooses.
The Mirai also has a nickel-metal hydride battery stack, which stores the extra energy generated either by the electrochemical reaction or by the regeneration process that takes place every time the car brakes or decelerates. This extra energy can then be called for under hard acceleration. And here’s another trick up the Mirai’s sleeve; the Mirai can actually use the electricity it makes to power a house! How cool is that!
The drive
Step inside the Toyota Mirai, and it feels like any conventional car. It has regular seats (though only four individual ones), a regular dash, and even a regular steering wheel; yes it’s round. It also has two floor pedals – throttle and brake – as in any regular automatic. What’s more the controls – for the stereo, the climate control, cruise control, Bluetooth telephony, driving modes, and what have you – all respond to touch instead of being telepathic. So, it’s all still very real.
And when you move its Prius-like gear shifter to D and step on the throttle, the Mirai moves like any other electric or hybrid car (in electric mode) does; it is quiet and seamless. Only, because it makes 335Nm of torque from the word go, it feels reasonably fast from a standstill. The claimed 0-100kmph time for the car is around 9 seconds. Now, we drove the Mirai on a tight, twisty track with mild gradient changes, but on a straight, the Mirai – according to its brochure – can hit a top speed of 175kmph.
The Mirai is front-wheel drive. And, it weighs over 1.85 ton, which is heavy. Not surprisingly, it can be quite a handful on the tighter stuff. More so, because it gains momentum quietly and effortlessly. So come a sequence of tight corners and if you aren’t paying attention to the speedo, the Mirai goes into understeer without provocation; the tyres don’t do it any favours here either. The Mirai also rolls around bends and feels a little ungainly under quick direction changes.
Yes, the Mirai isn’t a sports car, but when you get to try out a luxury barge on a tight track, it is difficult not to bring up the dynamic ability of the car. Otherwise, it feels and drives like a more modern Camry Hybrid. It is almost the same size – length, width or wheelbase. So, it feels a little long, a little heavy, and decently luxurious.
The bottom line though is, the Toyota Mirai works. It works as a luxury car. It works as a practical runabout (given it takes less than five minutes to fill it up). And it works as an intercity cruiser; the Mirai has a claimed range of nearly 600km on a full tank. That’s two tanks, but you get the idea.
The challenges
Will it work in India? With the right hydrogen related infrastructure, absolutely. That’s without factoring in the price, of course, because the pricing in India will go through the roof. Even with the subsidiary under FAME. But, here’s the thing. Toyota is serious about making the Mirai a mass-market car, at least internationally. So, it has steered away from using expensive materials like carbon fibre. It also shares bits and pieces with other product models in the Toyota line up. And as things stand today, three things work in the Mirai’s favour– Co2 emissions, range on a tank full, and filling time that is as quick as conventionally fuelled cars. The big drawbacks that remain are the price and the refueling infrastructure.
