Toyota Mirai, India's 1st hydrogen-based fuel-cell e-car, starts pilot study

Toyota Kirloskar Motor on Wednesday launched India's first all-hydrogen electric vehicle Mirai as part of its pilot project with the International Center for Automotive Technology (ICAT). The Toyota Mirai FCEV is one of the first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in the world and it runs on pure hydrogen generated electricity. It is also considered a true zero-emission vehicle, as the car emits only water from the tailpipe.

The second-generation iteration of the Toyota Mirai FCEV will be built at the Toyota Kirloskar Motors' plant in Karnataka, said the automaker. It was introduced globally in December 2020. The car is claimed to come with a refuelling time of five minutes. It is capable of running a range of up to 646 km on a full tank.

The pilot project comes as part of the Indian government's strategy to push greener and cleaner fuel solutions for the country's vehicle fleet. Besides the battery electric vehicles, the government is also pushing the hydrogen fuel cell as an alternative fuel solution against petrol and diesel.

While promoting green hydrogen as an alternative fuel solution, the government claims that it will offer huge opportunities to decarbonise a range of sectors including road transportation and is gaining unprecedented momentum globally.

The Toyota Mirai FCEV sedan comes equipped with a high-pressure hydrogen fuel tank, an electric motor. The powertrain breaks the hydrogen into water and oxygen and generates energy from it. Instead of emitting gas like internal combustion engines, the hydrogen fuel cell powertrain emits water from the tailpipe.

Speaking about the collaboration between Toyota and ICAT to introduce the Toyota Mirai FCEV, the ministry of road transport and highway (MoRTH) said that this is a first of its kind project in India, aimed at spreading awareness about hydrogen, FCEV technology.