Mirai, Toyota’s green hydrogen-based advanced fuel cell electric vehicle, was launched by Union Transport Minister Mr. Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday. Mirai will be tested on Indian roads as a part of Toyota Kirloskar Motor’s and International Center for Automotive Technology’s (ICAT) project to study and assess the adaptability of Toyota Mirai to the Indian climate.
Speaking at the launch event, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “This is the first-of-its-kind project in India that aims to create an ecosystem for such vehicles in the country.” He further mentioned that, “FCEV, powered by hydrogen, is one of the best zero-emission solutions.”
Globally, the Toyota Mirai was launched in 2014 and became becoming one of the few cars to run on hydrogen fuel cells. The Mirai is said to have an impressive range of 650 Kilometers on a single charge and have a refueling time of five minutes.
On the availability of fuels, Gadkari said,” “Green hydrogen can be generated from renewable energy and abundantly available biomass. The introduction and adoption of technology to tap into the green hydrogen’s potential will play a key role in securing a clean and affordable energy future for India”.
The Toyota Mirai is a sharp midsize sedan that has large boomerang- shaped headlights with sharp DRLs. The front fascia of the Mirai has a unique- looking, large horizontal blacked out grille. The side profile of the Mirai features large wheels and a chrome belt on the window line. The rear looks spectacular with a light bar spanning the width of the body along with split tail lamps.
The interior of the Mirai features a large 10+inch display, along with a stylish center console, dual tone cabin among others.
At As of present there is no word on the price of the Toyota Mirai, but since it would be built at Toyota Kirloskar’s motor plant in Karnataka the pricing is expected to should be competitive for a premium FCEV sedan. The Mirai will compete with the Hyundai Nexo if the latter comes in the market after testing.
