The Toyota Mirai: Looking A Lot Less Like Bulls–t

The upcoming Toyota Mirai FCV has been a car of some controversy, to say the least. On the one hand, you have Toyota officials and many others in the auto industry (most of whom are developing their own FCVs) claiming that hydrogen is THE answer to clean, renewable fuel. Others, like Tesla’s Elon Musk, say that fuel-cell vehicles are straight-up “bulls–t”.

Toyota has heard their critics, and they have answered in perhaps one of the cleverest marketing stunts of the past decade – they partnered with Morgan Spurlock to create this video, called “Fueled by Bullsh*t”. Check it out if you haven’t already seen it:

The video demonstrates how one could, if one were so inclined, extract hydrogen from cow manure. The video ends with a Toyota Mirai literally running on bull hockey. It is the first in an ongoing series of videos called “Fueled by Everything” which Toyota will use to promote their upcoming commercial FCV.

Meanwhile, first drive reviews of the Toyota Mirai are starting to roll in, such as this review from The Washington Post. WP’s Drew Harwell had the chance to ride around D.C. behind the wheel of the four-door sedan, and his conclusion is candid, but optimistic.

“Riding this, it really feels like something that could be the future, but until there’s that hydrogen infrastructure, it’s really going to be hard to see this getting in everybody’s garage, at least in the short-term,” Harrell said at the end of his review.

The Toyota Mirai will go on sale for $57,500 when it launches in California later this year, and Toyota only plans to sell 3,000 units in the US by the end of 2017. For that price, you’ll get a completely emissions-free car with a 300-mile range – more than any plug-in electric vehicle currently on the market – and a 5-minute refuel time, just like petrol. Harrell was adamant that the car itself is a blast to drive with great steering and responsive acceleration, along with all the creature comforts one could ask for in a modern-day interior.

Meanwhile, the Toyota Mirai and FCVs in general still have plenty of critics. For example, Clean Technica points out that even though the Mirai itself may be emissions-free, the processing and transportation of hydrogen – the well-to-wheel emissions, if you will – still requires lots of natural gas. But, Toyota isn’t just thinking about the next five years or even the next decade… They really believe the FCV will be the car of the future; the car we’ll still be driving in 100 years.

Japanese Car Auction Find – 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid

Realistically, most of us won’t have access to the Toyota Mirai for several years yet. We’re stuck with plain old hybrid cars like this 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid until the hydrogen infrastructure is more widely adopted around the world. But, there’s nothing wrong with that – the Camry is a great car that needs no introduction.

This Japanese car auction find is particularly reminiscent of the Toyota Mirai with its pearl white paint job (which is one of only two colors we’ve ever seen the FCV depicted in), but of course it is a much more affordable car, even new. The Camry is reliable, fun to drive and has great fuel-economy… All things you probably already knew, since it is after all one of the most well-known and beloved cars of all time. For a detailed rundown of this specific car’s auction sheet, keep reading below:

Interior C, exterior condition C, first registered May 2012, Hybrid G Package, DAA emissions code, FAT, AAC, first time in auction, HDD navigation system, rear view reversing camera, TV, smart entry and start, original navigation system, original TV, ABS, airbag, original alloy wheels, power steering, power windows, FAT, AAC, console scratches, carpets have medium stains, interior grime, scratches under bumpers, front windscreen stone scratches, marks as per map