The Toyota Mirai FCEV Will Take Part In A Pilot Project To Answer That Very Question
Toyota Kirloskar India and the International Centre for Automotive Technology (iCAT) have begun a pilot project in India to evaluate the hydrogen-powered Mirai on the Indian roads. It will be tested around the country.
What is the Toyota Mirai doing in India?
While the Mirai is already on sale in international markets, India does not have a network to fill hydrogen in cars yet. The Japanese carmaker has entered an MoU with the Indian government automobile testing agency iCAT. The new partnership is to evaluate a business case of the Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles in India. The second-generation Mirai FCEV will be used in this pilot study.
It is a first-of-its-kind project in India. It aims to create a new green hydrogen-based ecosystem for automobiles in the country. The Toyota Mirai will also help to spread awareness about the FCEV.
Toyota and Indian Government have joined hands to bring the Mirai
The federal government plans to reduce dependency on fossil fuels. The plan is to make the country ‘Energy Self-reliant’ by 2047. Once the tests are successful, the same technology will be used in larger trucks and buses, which consume the majority of fossil fuel.
The Toyota Mirai runs on hydrogen
The Mirai uses tanks to store high-pressure hydrogen
The second-generation Toyota Mirai is already on sale in the international markets. It first arrived in the global markets in December 2020. The Mirai runs on hydrogen. It gets three small tanks to store high-pressure hydrogen. It can store about 5.6 kg of hydrogen.
The compressed then reacts with the oxygen in the air to make water and electricity. The electricity is stored in a 1.24 kWh battery pack. The power is used to drive the vehicle. It is essentially an electric car that generates its own power.
The hydrogen reacts with oxygen to generate electricity and water
With a full capacity of hydrogen, the Mirai can go up to 646 km. The hydrogen refill is similar to the CNG and takes about 3 to 5 minutes. It reduces the refuelling downtime compared to electric cars.
If the tests are successful, Toyota will manufacture the Mirai in India at its Hosur facility in Karnataka. It will take a few years before we get to know the results of this pilot project.
Would you prefer a hydrogen-based electric car to a conventional one? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.
Keyword: Is Hydrogen The Answer For A Fossil-Free Future In India?