According to Toyota, it’s time we all went into cattle farming; at least we’ll be able to power their new generation Mirai concept vehicle, which they say will be able to run for “for a year from hydrogen from a single cow's manure.”
This is how the company’s chief technology officer, Shigeki Terashi explained the vehicle’s fuel use at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show. The Mirai, which means Future in Japanese, first went to market in 2014. It has just undergone a face and fuel lift and is now powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
According to Craig Scott, Toyota’s Director for Advanced Technology vehicles, the Japanese-based company is continuing to demonstrate that fuel cells are one of the most innovative and sustainable technologies for light and heavy-duty vehicle electrification.
To this end, the company entered into a partnership with Shell in building a power plant in Long Beach, California. In 2018, this project came to life as a hydrogen-truck refuelling station; it converts methane from dairy cattle manure into water, electricity and hydrogen.
Scott added that the initiative with Shell further strengthened their combined commitment to hydrogen as a viable transport fuel.
Yoshikazu Tanaka, the chief engineer of the Mirai project, told Japan Times: “We hope that with the new Mirai, we will be a leader in helping to realise a hydrogen-energy society.”
And it seems that they are well on their way, with the Mirai’s cruising range increasing by approximately 30% giving the car around 400 miles on a single full charge.
While the new improved Mirai is set to hit the street in 2021, you’re probably still using good old-fashioned petrol or diesel and looking for ways to reduce that expense. Contact Cartrack today to help save on your fuel costs and improve your fleet efficiency.
According to Toyota, it’s time we all went into cattle farming; at least we’ll be able to power their new generation Mirai concept vehicle
