Finland Times

Toyota Motor Corp. announced recently it has named its soon to be launched hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle " Mirai" meaning future in Japanese and that the production version of its FCV concept sedan unveiled last year will mark a dramatic step forward for environmentally-friendly automobiles.

     Toyota's President and CEO, Akio Toyoda, was quoted as saying in a video message ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show, that the Mirai is a chance for Toyota to make a fundamental difference in the auto industry, and bring fuel-cell vehicles into the mainstream, a paradigm shift in the industry some experts have equated with the 1997 launch of its then game-changing Prius hybrid.

     "We believe that behind the wheel of the Mirai, we can go places we have never been, to a world that is better, in a car that is better," said Toyoda. "For us, this isn't just another car. This is an opportunity, an opportunity to really make a difference. And making a difference is what Toyota is all about."

     "All of us at Toyota believe in a future that will be safer, greener and easier for everyone," Toyoda added. "The four-door sedan represents a turning point for the automotive industry," said the CEO.

     According to Toyota, the car can travel up to 500 km on a single tank of compressed hydrogen, with refueling at a charging station taking a mere 5-minutes. Toyoda himself explained how the car's fuel cells convert hydrogen gas into electricity, which is stored in batteries, with the only emissions being water vapor.

     He said that the Mirai's fully-charged tank could generate the equivalent amount of electricity to supply a typical household for one week.

     Toyota, the world's largest automaker, said the Mirai will hit markets in Japan later this year and be available in Europe early next year. By the summer of 2015 it will go on sale on the west coast of the United States and be available in the northeast by around 2016.

     The revolutionary car will come with a price tag of around 7 million yen (about 60,000 U.S. dollars), and Toyota has said it hopes to inspire sales through the development of hydrogen refueling stations, with partners such as Air Liquide, who produce hydrogen, contracted by the auto giant to help develop the infrastructure in the United States.

     In answer to critics suggesting that fuel-cell cars limit the " driving experience," Toyoda countered by saying, "this is a car that lets you have it all with no compromises. As a test driver, I knew this new fuel-cell vehicle had to be truly fun to drive and believe me, it is. It has a low center of gravity, which gives it very dynamic handling."

     Other carmakers such as Honda are also in the process of unveiling fuel-cell vehicles and involved in developing hydrogen refueling stations here in Japan.