Toyota Officially Names Their Upcoming FCV the Mirai

As of today, we finally have a name to refer to when talking about Toyota’s upcoming hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. No longer is it simply the “Fuel-Cell Vehicle Concept”; now it’s the Toyota Mirai. Interestingly enough, “Mirai” actually means “future” in Japanese – a fitting name for a car that Toyota believes holds the key for the future of environmentally conscious driving.

If you’d like to see the news straight from source, check out Mr. Akio Toyoda introducing the Mirai in the video below:

As you can see, Mr. Toyoda has given us a full rundown of what we can expect from Toyota’s first-ever commercial hydrogen FCV. Heavily based on the FCV Concept, this modern-looking four-door sedan will be both fuel conscious and fun to drive. It’ll be able to travel 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, refill in about 3 minutes, and the only emissions coming out the tail pipe are two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen… In other words, water.

You don’t have to be an expert to see the implications of a car like the Toyota Mirai. If hydrogen fuel-cell cars take off the way that Akio Toyoda envisions, this could be the first step towards a world without automotive pollution. In both form and function, the Mirai will feel nearly identical to a conventional petrol car. However, instead of relying on limited fossil fuels, hydrogen can be made from almost anything – even garbage, as Toyoda excitedly points out in the video.

The official naming of Toyota’s FCV is only part of the news, however. In addition, NA Toyota CEO, Jim Lentz, informed us in a press release that Toyota has made a new commitment in the Northeastern Corridor – Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts & Connecticut – to build a viable hydrogen refueling infrastructure by 2016.

The new Northeastern infrastructure will come via a partnership with Air Liquide. There will be at least 12 state-of-the-art hydrogen stations available by the time Toyota launches the Mirai in 2016. In combination with the 19 hydrogen fueling stations that will be available in California alone, Toyota is pretty well setup to start closing in from both borders as the rest of the US inevitably adopts the technology over the coming decade.

This is a timely announcement for Toyota, as their new Mirai is set to make its global debut later this week at the 2014 LA Auto Show. Sales of the Mirai are expected to start in California by summer of 2015.

Auction Find – 2013 Toyota Prius G

The Mirai isn’t the first time that Toyota has led the way in the automotive industry with breakthrough, environmentally friendly technology. For over a decade now, the Toyota Prius has defined the hybrid market, and continues to lead the way in both sales and influence. By May of this year, the Prius had already sold 70,000 more units than the second best-selling hybrid in the US, which was the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

This particular find is a 2013 model year in fresh-off-the-floor condition. By now, you probably already know exactly what to expect from a Toyota Prius, so we won’t spend a ton of time telling you all the awesome perks of the model. Instead, if you’d like to learn more about this specific Japanese car auction find, just read below the auction sheet for a full translation:

“Interior B, first registered February 2013, G model, DAA emissions code, AT, AC, power steering, power windows, original TV and navigation system, first time in auction, rear view reversing camera, AT, AC, service book, console scratches, dashboard scratches, door mirrors scratched, scraped under front bumper, light scratches under rear bumper, marks as per map”