Toyota Mirai: The real Miracle is here

Toyota Mirai

World’s first mass-produced Fuel Cell vehicle is here!

Emits only water vapor!!

Wise people often say ‘Every dark cloud has a silver lining’! The underlying truth in this adage becomes even more evident when one comes across the fact that it is the mankind’s concern over the environmental issues that are fueling the growth of more and more number of sustainable transport solutions. Furthermore, the Japanese car-giant Toyota has marked a milestone in attempts to design the transport of the future by commencing the mass production of its fuel cell vehicle– Toyota Mirai!

Toyota Mirai Design:

Mirai-front-end
Mirai front end (Courtesy: Toyota)

Toyota has adopted an aggressive styling policy to design Mirai thereby yielding a truly futuristic look to this vehicle. It appears to share some of the front end bits such as the bumper styling from the latest generation Corolla. However, the rest of the body is a unique feature of Mirai. The strong body lines on the front bumper and modified headlamps match each other very well. The most articulate feature in the front end styling is the grille. This triangularly shaped grille also houses fog lamps.

The slim ‘A pillar’ takes care of the front end visibility and also imparts a compact feel to the overall vehicle size. The strong body lines on the front and rear wheel arches give a streamlined look the body of the vehicle.

Mirai-Interiors
Mirai Interiors (Courtesy: Toyota)

Powertrain:

The Un-skinned Mirai
The un-skinned Mirai (Courtesy: Toyota)

At the core of Mirai lies a ‘fuel cell’ which is the main source of electrical energy. The fuel cell produces electrical energy with the help of Hydrogen stored in tanks and atmospheric oxygen. The electricity so generated is utilized to run the vehicle. The power output of the fuel cell stack mounted on Mirai is 114kW.

Details-of-Hydrogen-storage--tank
Details of Hydrogen storage tank (Courtesy: Toyota)

Toyota Mirai employs two carbon fiber reinforced polymer lined Hydrogen fuel tanks. To ensure the safety of the passengers, these tanks come with a safety shut-off valve and leakage detection system. In the case of perilous events like an accident, the system immediately shuts down the supply of Hydrogen is to avoid further detonation.

More details of the working of a Fuel cell vehicle are covered in our article:

http://carbiketech.com/fuel-cell-electric-vehicle-fcev/

Safety features of Toyota Mirai:

Like any other IC engine (Petrol/Diesel) powered car cruising the roads, Mirai is accoutred with all the latest the safety features. Some of the main features include:

Airbags: 8 Nos.

Antilock Braking System (ABS)

Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD)

Traction Control System (TCS)

Vehicle Stability Control (VSC)

Cruise Control

Lane Departure Alert

Blind Spot Monitor

By providing a good mix of all these active and passive safety features, the Mirai takes an utmost care to minimize the risk during events of a collision. Currently, Toyota is leading the technological developments in the field of fuel cell technology. The company will rule this market segment. The response that Mirai gets from the auto markets worldwide is another half of the story. However, it is undoubtedly true that Toyota has taken a very bold step forward and will make its rivals take a note of it!

For more information on the Toyota Mirai, please click here:

Read more: What is fuel cell electric Vehicle? >> 

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