Toyota’s shows off its next-generation Mirai hydrogen-powered car

All car makers are focusing on building plug-in electric cars, but there is another option that is easier to refill and has longer range.

Not sold on the electric vehicle revolution? How about hydrogen instead? Fuel cell cars (FCEVs) have long been seen as the true zero-emission champions, and Toyota’s new Mirai wraps its eco heart in a sleek and sexy skin to banish the bland of before.

Introduced in 2014, the Mirai is available in the United States, but Toyota Australia has just three of these hydrogen-electric cars for internal use and a further 10 out on trial — mainly with Hobsons Bay City Council — to cleanly cruise Melbourne’s streets. The fuel cell generates electricity to power an electric motor, and ultimately emits only water and heat.

Toyota revealed the next-generation Mirai hydrogen car.

In its five-year life span some 10,000 of the current model Mirais have been sold globally. Sadly, they don’t win any beauty contests. Dumpy of design, they’re from the school of abandoning taste in favour of looking overtly eco-friendly.

No longer. The second-generation Mirai is quite the looker, and even though it’s still a concept, its planned launch at the end of 2020 means what you see here is very close to what you’ll get.

The current Mirai isn’t much of a looker.

In the metal it’s a captivating large four-door sedan with 20-inch wheels filling its arches. The Mirai concept is slightly longer than a Toyota Camry and its chief engineer, Yoshikazu Tanaka, acknowledges the new car’s aesthetic leap.

“I want customers to say ‘I chose the Mirai because I simply wanted this car, and it just happens to be an FCEV’,” he said. “We hope the new Mirai will be a leader in helping to realise a hydrogen energy society.”

Built on a new modular platform able to accommodate Toyota’s full range of powertrains, the rear-wheel-drive Mirai can fit five occupants (the current model manages just four) thanks to a 140mm extended wheelbase. The leather-lined cabin’s not too shabby either with 12.3-inch widescreen on the centre console, digital instrumentation and large head-up display.

The Mirai’s only tailpipe emission is water.

While no power or performance figures are offered, we can expect a leap over the current 113kW and 335Nm thanks to a fully-redesigned fuel cell system including its fuel cell stack to deliver “substantially improved performance.”

You can refuel the Mirai in about the same time as you would a petrol or diesel car. A couple of minutes, rather than the far greater time needed to fully juice current electric cars. Range is enough to allay anxiety too. Toyota is targeting a 30 per cent range increase with the new car to roughly 700km travel between refills.

The next-gen Mirai concept looks more like an upmarket Lexus.

Too good to be true? Of course. Price and infrastructure are the hurdles. Mirais cost $60,000 in the USA (about $90,000 when converted to Australian dollars), and the new model will no doubt be pricier again.

Toyota currently uses a mobile hydrogen refueller at its Altona, Melbourne facility to feed its Mirais, but is currently building a dedicated Toyota Hydrogen Centre station at the same location.

The Australian Capital Territory has said Australia’s first public hydrogen filling station will open later this year (the ACT government has Hyundai NEXO FCEVs cars as part of its fleet), with more expected in some state capitals soon after.

A Toyota spokesperson couldn’t confirm the new Mirai would come to Australia, but it’s obviously a shoo-in with the brand’s investment at Altona.

The new Mirai will be official vehicle of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, so next year we’ll be very familiar with its desirable proportions. Just how long until you see them in Australian showrooms and on our roads remains to be seen, but once infrastructure is in place the Mirai will look very attractive indeed.