The future is here. No, really,
it is. Because that is the name of Toyota's first mass production
hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) - Mirai, which means future in
Japanese.
What exactly is an FCV? Well, it takes hydrogen stored in its
high-compression tank, combines it with oxygen in the air and produces
electricity chemically.
The electricity powers an electric motor that drives the wheels.
Unlike conventional cars, which emit CO2 and other nasty greenhouse
gases, the only thing to come out of an FCV's tailpipe is water vapour
(because that is what happens when you combine hydrogen and oxygen).
The interior of the Mirai, too, is suitably space-age. As with its
exterior, there is all manner of angular sculpting inside, particularly
its chrome-trimmed dashboard.
The centre console is a monolithic slab of glossy black plastic and
it is here that the stubby arcade game joystick-like gear lever
resides, along with the climate control's LCD screen (the temperature
is adjusted by sliding your finger along a touch-sensitive track).
Oddly enough, the least futuristic thing about the Mirai's interior is its white LED "calculator" readout clock.
For all its advanced nature, the Mirai is an unremarkable car to
drive, inasmuch as an electric car is "normal". Granted, three laps
around a makeshift test-track set up in a parking lot (Japanese laws
prohibit test drives on public roads) is hardly enough time to judge a
car, but initial impressions are that the Mirai is curiously undramatic.
That is not always a bad thing, though.
Select D with the "joystick", release the foot-operated parking brake and you are away. It is as easy as that.
Aside from the instant golf buggy acceleration and near-silent
running endemic to all electrically powered cars, the Mirai handles
exactly how you would expect a regular saloon to, which belies its
advanced powertrain.
In a normal setting, the environmentally sound Toyota has a 650km
cruising range, a 361-litre boot that Toyota proudly claims can hold up
to three golf bags (granted, the 470-litre boot in the Corolla Altis
can hold four golf bags) and a refuelling time of just three minutes.
An electric car takes half an hour to juice up, at its quickest.
In short, the future of the automobile does not feel all that
different. But unfortunately, Singapore is going to have to wait for
quite a while for the future to arrive because hydrogen-refuelling
infrastructure does not exist here.
Even in the Mirai's home market of Japan, there are just 20 hydrogen
filling stations. The United States - the carmaker's second home - has
13 stations.
Also, the Mirai is not exactly cheap. Even with generous government
subsidies that take about 40 per cent off the car's 7.2 million yen
(S$79,500) sticker price in Japan, it is still nearly twice the price
of a Prius hybrid (which is not exactly a cheap car either).
There is no doubt the Mirai is an expensive car, and Toyota will
most probably struggle to find buyers for it. In its first year of
production, the company is making just 700 units, which is a paltry
number when you consider it made 8.7 million cars in 2012.
So, it might seem to the cynical observer that Toyota is jumping the
gun by producing a car that the world is not yet ready for - or,
indeed, wants.
But it is clear that the Mirai is not meant to be a money-spinner.
It is meant to showcase Toyota's technological prowess and it proves
that FCVs can be mass-produced.
Specs
TOYOTA MIRAI
Price: Unavailable
Engine: Synchronous electric motor
Transmission: Single-speed
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 335Nm
0-100kmh: 9.6 seconds
Top speed: Not available
Fuel consumption: Not available
