Toyota Mirai Becomes Part Of Pilot Study By Indian Government: Project Inaugurated By Nitin Gadkari

This is a great initiative by the Government of India considering our current dependency on fossil fuels. Moreover, the government has also been considering the possibility of using hydrogen fuel cell cars for quite some time now.

The pilot project conducted by the iCAT (International Centre for Automotive Technology) will use the second-generation Toyota Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) and the pilot project was inaugurated by Mr Nitin Gadkari, the Minister of Road, Transport and Highways.

Unlike battery-powered cars, the FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) generate their own electricity and considering more than 50 per cent of electricity produced in India is through coal, fuel cell electric vehicles are overall more eco-friendly.

Apart from that, fuel cell electric vehicles can be refuelled just like conventional vehicles by filling up hydrogen into the tank instead of fossil fuels like petrol or diesel. This is a major advantage considering today's battery-powered electric vehicles take at least an hour to charge completely even using very powerful chargers.

Also, the battery-powered EVs are generally heavier thanks to their enormous battery pack, this can lead to additional wear and tear among moving parts causing further damage to the environment.

Since fuel cell vehicles are lighter and can be refilled in minutes, they are a more viable option for powering long-distance vehicles such as trucks and busses.

An additional advantage of hydrogen lies in its production as it can be produced using renewable energy sources and biomass, making it more sustainable than any other viable fuel source in the market.

Speaking about Toyota Mirai, the first concept was unveiled back in 2011 at the Tokyo Motor Show as the Toyota FCV-R and the initial development for FCEV technology started way back in 1992.

The first-generation Toyota Mirai FCEV was produced from 2014 to2020 and came with a 152bhp electric motor with 335Nm of torque. It has two hydrogen tanks with a total capacity of 122-litres.

This setup along with the 1.6kWh battery pack gave the first-generation Toyota Mirai a range of 502kms under the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) cycle. Since FCEVs produce water as a by-product, the Toyota Mirai produces water at a rate of 240ml per every 4kms.

Unlike the first-generation model, the second-generation Toyota Mirai is a rear-wheel-drive car and comes with a more powerful 182bhp electric motor with 300Nm of torque. Moreover, the vehicle now comes with 3 hydrogen tanks for a combined 141-litres of hydrogen storage.

This setup gave the second-generation Toyota Mirai with additional range for a total of 647kms under the EPA cycle. Also, the second-generation Toyota Mirai scored a 5-Star safety rating at the Euro-NCAP crash test.

However, the lack of Hydrogen filling infrastructure in India will push the launch of FCEVs like the Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo in the country, but the pilot program could accelerate the future possibilities for FCEVs in India.

Thoughts About Toyota Mirai & Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles

FCEVs are a lot more sustainable mode of transportation considering the source of power for FCEVs can also be made sustainable. In addition to that, the refilling time for an FCEV is almost equal to a conventional car, this makes FCEVs a lot more suitable for long-drive vehicles.