Zero emission Mirai hits Australia’s roads with point to prove

PHILIP KING
December 8, 2016
The Australian
Toyota is taking a hydrogen-­powered car on an Australian road trip to showcase its vision for zero-emission motoring after it ­imported costly refuelling equipment from Europe.
The Mirai, one of the first production fuel cell cars, has been on sale overseas for two years but hopes of offering it in Australia have been hamstrung by a lack of infrastructure. Toyota hopes to turn that around by demonstrating to governments and industry that a fuel cell car has the range and practicality of a regular fleet vehicle, all without harmful waste products.
“Toyota has a global target of reducing emissions from its cars by 90 per cent by 2050,” government and environment affairs manager Andrew Willis says. “The Mirai is part of our future and our commitment to reduce the impact on the environment.”
Unlike battery-only vehicles, the Mirai does not require owners to change their driving habits.
“A fuel cell vehicle offers the same convenience as a conventional car, the same drive experience, power and handling fun,” Willis says. “There’s nothing to plug in or wait around for; you can refuel it the same as you do your vehicle at the moment.”
The Mirai operates similar to Toyota’s Prius hybrid but with a fuel cell stack instead of a petrol engine. Fuel cells use ­on-board ­hydrogen plus oxygen from the air to make electricity, which powers a motor that drives the front wheels. The only tailpipe emission is water vapour. The Mirai’s two high-pressure stor­age tanks hold 5kg of hydrogen and can be filled in three minutes to give it a range of 550km.
Product planning manager ­Michael Elias says that based on prices in Japan, Europe and the US, where there are hundreds of hydrogen stations, it will cost about $60 to fill up.
One of Australia’s first hydrogen stations could be in Canberra as part of the $23 million Test Berth renewable fuels project, which includes refuelling capacity for 1000 fuel cell vehicles.
With ­energy from the Hornsdale wind farm now under construction, the ACT government’s involvement includes an order of 20 fuel cell cars from ­Hyundai (see breakout) for delivery in 2018. Hyundai has spent the past 18 months demonstrating the technology using a left-hand-drive example of its ix35 Fuel Cell SUV, about 400 of which have been sold overseas.
The Mirai, meaning ­“future” in Japanese, has attracted 1500 to 2000 buyers since its launch in 2014 at an average price in the US of $US63,000 ($85,000), according to industry data agency Jato.
Willis says the mobile refuelling station for the road trip, which was imported from Austria at a cost of more than $500,000, means the Mirai could be shown to potential customers across Australia in a demonstration schedule running to mid-2019.
“It’s about raising awareness of the technology and its applications,” he says.
Industries, from telecoms to mining, that use hydrogen are ­potential customers, Willis says, espec­ially those with return-to-base fleets where a single refuelling station could fill up vehicles at the end of a shift.
Toyota’s hydrogen vision will receive a boost next year when Tokyo begins running more than 100 fuel cell buses in preparation for the 2020 Olympics. The buses use the fuel cell system developed for the Mirai.
Hesitant start for hydrogen
Almost every brand has flirted with fuel cells at some time in the past two decades, but only two have cars now in production.
Honda began leasing its first-generation Clarity in California, Europe and Japan in 2008, with just a few dozen cars involved.
At last year’s Tokyo motor show it displayed the second version of the car with an improved fuel stack and 130kW motor. The range was extended to 590km and the first customers will get into the car this month in Europe and California, with three-year leases priced at $US369 ($497) a month. There are no plans for Australia.
A fuel cell version of Hyundai’s ix35 SUV (now sold as the Tucson) started rolling off South Korean assembly lines in 2013 and about 400 have been sold, split between California and Europe, with a ­single demonstrator in Australia since last year.
Hyundai’s next fuel cell vehicle, due in 2018, has an 800km range and an expected price of about $US65,000.
The ACT government has ­already committed to buying 20 of the cars in conjunction with the Hornsdale wind farm project, which will power a hydrogen refuelling station
Toyota’s future whirs around
As a large sedan, the Mirai is the most traditional of cars in one ­respect, but it looks as unconventional as they come.
Perhaps it is Toyota’s idea of the future because its latest Prius is similarly challenging to the eye. But it does get looks.
On the roads around Toyota’s HQ in southern Sydney, it drives like other electric cars, with smart acceleration off the mark from its 113kW motor and whirring sounds instead of the growl of an engine.
At 1.9 tonnes, it weighs about as much as a luxury car of similar size and, although its low centre of gravity has dynamic benefits, it is clearly tuned for ride comfort rather than handling.
The aerodynamic exterior is echoed in its futuristic cabin layout with an abundance of display screens, including one set cen­trally on top of the dash.
There’s room for four, but those in the rear will find foot and headroom limited. Boot capacity is also smaller than expected because of the location of the hydrogen tanks.