Automotive

Toyota completes 100,000-km road test of its hydrogen-powered Mirai

Toyota completes 100,000-km road test of its hydrogen-powered Mirai
The Mirai reportedly performed with no mechanical breakdowns
The Mirai reportedly performed with no mechanical breakdowns
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The Mirai reportedly performed with no mechanical breakdowns
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The Mirai reportedly performed with no mechanical breakdowns
The Mirai's fuel cell is said to have operated with 100 percent reliability
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The Mirai's fuel cell is said to have operated with 100 percent reliability
The Mirai's fuel cell continued working during a period when there was an outside temperature of -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit)
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The Mirai's fuel cell continued working during a period when there was an outside temperature of -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit)​
The Mirai was refuelled nearly 400 times, with over 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of hydrogen
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The Mirai was refuelled nearly 400 times, with over 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of hydrogen
The test took place on streets, rural roads, motorways and autobahns in and around Hamburg, Germany
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The test took place on streets, rural roads, motorways and autobahns in and around Hamburg, Germany
The Mirai was driven 16 hours a day for 107 days
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The Mirai was driven 16 hours a day for 107 days
The test was carried out for Toyota by auto test firm KJ Tech Services
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The test was carried out for Toyota by auto test firm KJ Tech Services
View gallery - 7 images

Toyota has completed a 100,000-km (62,137-mi) road test of its Mirai hydrogen-powered car. The test took place on streets, rural roads, motorways and autobahns in and around Hamburg, Germany, with the Mirai driven 16 hours a day for 107 days.

The road test was carried out for Toyota by auto test firm KJ Tech Services. Toyota specified the distance that the Mirai should cover, as well as the distance on different road types. In response, KJ Tech Services calculated a route in and around Hamburg that would provide the required variation and the route was then driven by eight drivers working in two shifts per day, six days a week.

"The Mirai performed excellently with no mechanical breakdowns," reports KJ Tech Services project manager Patrick Hake. "The fuel cell operated with 100 percent reliability. This was also the case during a week in which the outside temperature dropped to -20 degrees Centigrade (-4 degrees Fahrenheit), when no problems with cold starts were reported."

The Mirai was driven 16 hours a day for 107 days
The Mirai was driven 16 hours a day for 107 days

The car is said to have been refuelled nearly 400 times with over 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) of hydrogen. During the road test, its tires were changed twice and the front brake pads were also replaced.

Feedback from the drivers reportedly indicated that the Mirai was comfortable and spacious, handled well on curves and was easy to maneuver. Its steering was also said to have been described as "responsive" and its acceleration "smooth." The drivers noted the Mirai's three-minute refuelling time as a particular advantage over other electric vehicles.

The test began on September 21st last year and was completed on February 10th, with Toyota only recently having made the information public.

Source: Toyota

View gallery - 7 images
3 comments
3 comments
butkus
Well the mechanical reliability was practically guaranteed by those German "rural roads", which sounds edgy, but generally translates to glass smooth asphalt highways for the rest of the planet and is similarly relevant to real life as Nürburgring.
Craig Jennings
1kg/100km. Hydrogen 140 MJ/kg Diesel 48 MJ/kg So ~2.92kg/100km diesel equiv / 0.44 (efficiency) / 0.832 (kg/L) ~8.76L/100km diesel. They must have been giving it a good thrash :) or my maths is rubbish! (good chance)
yawood
"During the road test, its tires were changed twice and the front brake pads were also replaced." Blimey!
My Ford ute has done 120,000km and had tyres at 75,000km only because my lease was running out (they would have gone to at least 90,000km) and I'm still on the original brake pads (with lots to go). Almost all with city driving.