He was speaking at an international ministerial meeting on hydrogen energy here.
Toyota launched the first iteration of the Mirai in late 2014. It offers a 500km range and takes only 5 minutes to refuel fully.
The world’s first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle is a four-door, mid-size sedan with performance that fully competes with traditional internal combustion engines – but uses no petrol. Instead, Mirai creates electricity on demand using hydrogen, oxygen and a fuel cell, and emits nothing but water vapour in the process.
The first-generation Mirai.
The Mirai uses the Toyota Fuel Cell System (TFCS), which features both fuel cell technology and hybrid technology, and includes Toyota's new proprietary FC Stack and high-pressure hydrogen tanks. The TFCS is more energy efficient than internal combustion engines and emits no CO2 or pollutants when driven.
Drivers are promised the same level of convenience as offered by petrol engine vehicles.
Hydrogen can be generated using a wide range of natural resources and man-made byproducts such as sewage sludge. It can also be created from water using natural renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.
When compressed, it has a higher energy density than batteries, and is relatively easy to store and transport, therefore it also carries expectations for potential future use in power generation and a wide range of other applications.
Toyota employs a newly-designed high-pressure (700 bar) tank that’s 40% stronger than conventional ones and splits the storage for better weight distribution.
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