India begins hydrogen passenger car trials with Toyota Mirai under new MoU

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), enabling the government-led research institute to commence real-world trials of the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell car in India. The agreement, formalised at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) headquarters in New Delhi, marks the first structured evaluation of a hydrogen-powered passenger vehicle under Indian driving and climate conditions.

The NISE will study the Mirai’s performance across a broad set of parameters, ranging from efficiency and driving range to drivability, refuelling behaviour, and adaptability to varying terrain and temperatures. The institute will also assess the car’s tolerance to dust, traffic density, and overall environmental factors typically associated with Indian roads.

The pilot project aligns with the government’s wider push to establish a hydrogen-powered ecosystem. Abhay Bhakre, Mission Director at MNRE, framed the project as the first step to take hydrogen energy beyond the heavy-duty pilots already underway. “As we go along in the coming decades, we want to replace our fossil fuel, which we are importing, with our renewable fuel by using renewable hydrogen for other sectors, which include passenger vehicles," he said.

Toyota has provided NISE with its second-generation Mirai, a global fuel-cell model that runs on compressed hydrogen and emits only water vapour. According to the company, the sedan can travel roughly 650 km on 5.2–5.4 kg of hydrogen and can be refuelled in under five minutes, roughly identical to filling up a conventional petrol car.

The second-generation Toyota Mirai supplied for the pilot emits only water vapour and offers an estimated 650 km range on 5.2–5.4 kg of hydrogen

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The second-generation Toyota Mirai supplied for the pilot emits only water vapour and offers an estimated 650 km range on 5.2–5.4 kg of hydrogen

Speaking at the event, Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said that India, being a fast-growing economy, is expected to rapidly increase its per capita energy consumption. He says, “If we are to realise the national goal of self-reliance in energy, realise our true potential of Viksit Bharat, and decarbonise, then renewable energy is definitely going to play a big role." He added that hydrogen is poised to play a vital role in contributing both to India’s renewable-energy targets and to the decarbonisation of the mobility sector.

Gulati further highlighted Toyota’s earlier hydrogen-related work in India, including supplying fuel-cell stacks for commercial-vehicle prototypes and collaborations on stationary hydrogen applications. On the Mirai pilot with NISE, he said, “We hope that with this, we can learn a bit more about the use of the Mirai in actual Indian driving and climatic conditions."

The trials are expected to generate data crucial in shaping future policy decisions on hydrogen-powered mobility, an area where India is yet to establish commercial pathways. While the project is still at an early stage, it is expected to lay the groundwork for the potential adoption of hydrogen passenger cars in the near future.

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