The speed limit on the Shuto Expressway that loops around the centre of Tokyo is 60 kph (38mph). The Toyota Mirai hits that in a few seconds, leaving nothing but a thin stream of water in its wake.
Mirai, which means “future” in Japanese, is the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen-powered car. It is coming to Britain this autumn, just in time for the opening next month of the UK’s first 24-hour, public hydrogen-refuelling station, just off the M1 near Sheffield.
It has taken two decades of research and development to get this state-of-the-art four-door car on to the road. It has a range of 300 miles – compared with about 75 miles for most electric cars – and its 5kg hydrogen tanks can be refuelled in five minutes.
At the Toyota headquarters in central Tokyo, the Mirai – which will sell for about £56,000 – sits in the car park next to a fleet of conventional saloons and mini-vans. Seiji Sano, head of the automotive giant’s research and development wing, knows that getting the hydrogen car to catch on will be tough, regardless of its revolutionary styling and technology.
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