The 2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell sedan has already landed in the United States, specifically in California.
Toyota claims that in comparison with battery-powered electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered autos are considerably more eco-friendly.
The Mirai, which is shaped like a trapezoid, touts to go 312 miles on a full tank of hydrogen. It will require three to five minutes to refuel this car — that is a little bit closer to what vehicle owners experience with autos powered by gasoline.
"Our goal is to produce 30,000 units annually by 2020," said Mirai's chief engineer Yoshikazu Tanaka in an interview. "Further cost reduction is necessary to make the technology affordable and accessible."
Toyota aspires to build 2,000 Mirais in the coming year and 3,000 when 2017 comes. It has disclosed that it is producing around three Mirai vehicles daily in its headquarters in Japan.
To date, California is the only state in the United States where individuals can purchase or lease the fuel cell vehicle. The Japanese automaker already sold 34 units last month and promises to deliver 100 Mirai cars within the year. Interested buyers need to fork $58,335 out of their pockets to get one.
Toyota is offering four color choices to its consumers: white, silver, black and blue. Those who would like to buy one Mirai need to head to one of eight Toyota dealers in northern and southern California. Buyers should also be in close proximity to a hydrogen fueling station.
John Hanson, a spokesperson for Toyota, said that the company is just beginning to deliver its first Mirai vehicles in the state. He added that the automaker is convinced that fuel cell electric vehicles will soon turn out to be mainstream cars more rapidly than battery electric cars.
The world's biggest automaker is following the footsteps of Hyundai, which already started marketing its hydrogen-powered Tucson SUV in 2014. Honda is likewise concentrating on the reboot of its fuel cell model.
Toyota is aiming to deliver the remainder of the 1,000 units allocated for the United States this year over the following 12 months.
