Back to the Future? The Toyota Mirai
In the classic movie, Back to the Future Part II, Marty McFly showed us what the year 2015 would look like. Between flying cars, and clothing that seemed to largely consist of body armour, not a lot that we saw in that movie has quite come true that way it was depicted. However, that’s not to say that 2015 won’t see its share of advances in technology.
One glimpse of the future we’ll be seeing this year is the new Toyota Mirai. “Miriai” is Japanese for “future,” and that is exactly what this car represents: it runs on hydrogen, and its emissions are water. And the water is even drinkable!
The Mirai is slated to be released in late 2015, and will at first be sold solely in the state of California at a price tag of $57,500 to purchase, or $499 per month to lease. The car will be sold only in California, as it is currently the only place with the infrastructure necessary to refuel the car. The Mirai will only be available to those who live in the same areas where fueling stations are available.
Simply put, the Mirai’s fuel cell holds approximately 11 pounds of hydrogen (when full), which combines with air to create electricity. The product of this is water, which is then emitted through the tailpipe. So, in order to refuel the Mirai, you will need to refill at one of only a very few currently available filling stations, and the process should take about five minutes.
In terms of the driving experience, the Mirai is said to drive very similarly to existing electric cars: the acceleration can be a bit slow, but the ride feels quite smooth and quiet.
In terms of its appearance, the Mirai is said to be a mix between the Prius and the Corolla, although it has some industry experts calling it ugly, much as they did when the Prius was first introduced.
And the Mirai isn’t the only car that will be introduced in the next little while that makes use of this technology. Hyundai has also recently released the Hyundai Tucson fuel cell.
While 2015 might not look quite the same as it was depicted in Back to the Future II, we are certainly going to be seeing some very futuristic cars this year!
Read About More New Cars in 2015
A new Korean car brand coming to North America
Auto Technology from the 2015 North American International Auto Show