The 2016 Toyota Mirai FCV is the Future of Driving

Mar 14, 2015

When the Toyota Prius first arrived at our Waukegan Toyota dealership, not everyone was sure just what to make of the pioneering hybrid car. In the years since, the Toyota Prius has grown in popularity at Classic Toyota and the rest of the country. Now Toyota looks to change the game again with the release of the 2016 Toyota Mirai.

In Japanese “Mirai” means future, and the 2016 Toyota Mirai truly seems like something from another time. Based off last year’s Toyota FCV Concept, the 2016 Toyota Mirai showcases Toyota’s new hydrogen fuel cell technology. The vehicle will be similar in size to the current 2015 Toyota Camry.

A hydrogen fuel cell car isn’t entirely different than an electric car in some ways. Drivers can move the car with an electric motor producing 151 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque, which is sent power from a nickel-metal-hydride battery, which is also found in the 2015 Toyota Prius hybrids in Waukegan at our dealership.

The big difference is there’s also a fuel cell that holds up to five kilograms of compressed hydrogen inside two tanks. These are located beneath the rear seats and behind them. According to Toyota, there’s enough hydrogen for a driver to go about 300 miles before refueling.

Refueling is much faster than in an electric car and takes about the same time as it would to fill up a gas car. The other advantage is these cars are quite a bit more environmentally friendly to drive. The only emission from the hydrogen is water.

Toyota plans to release the 2016 Toyota Mirai towards the end of 2015 starting in California so they can help to develop an infrastructure for refueling. Hopefully soon after that it will come to Classic Toyota.

In the meantime, we carry the 2015 Toyota Prius and a variety of hybrid vehicles. Visit our dealership in Waukegan to take a test drive!