Mirai: That's what Toyota calls its FCV and future mobility

Toyota has confirmed its upcoming hydrogen-powered car will be called Toyota Mirai. The model was previously known as FCV or Fuel Cell Vehicle. 

The Toyota Mirai will gets its official launch in Japan tomorrow ahead of its arrival there next April and will arrive in Europe and the US in summer 2015. 

The guide price for the car in Japan is about £43,500 (Rs 42.67 lakh), although Toyota says the showroom price for Western markets has yet to be decided, partly because it does not know what, if any, government subsidies will be available for the Mirai. 

The name Mirai is Japanese for future. Toyota boss Akio Toyoda confirmed the new name at a special ceremony in Japan ahead of the car's launch. 

The Mirai is the culmination of two decades of research from Toyota. The production version of the saloon car, which seats four and offers a range of 300 miles from its twin high-pressue hydrogen tanks (700bar/70MPa) stored under the floor, was revealed at the recent Paris Motor Show.

The hydrogen tanks fuel a hydrogen fuel cell, which powers a permanent magnet electric motor to drive the front wheels. At the tailpipe, the Mirai only emits water vapour. Power for the system is understood to be around 135bhp, Toyota making comparisons to a typical petrol-engined family saloon. A refuel of the hydrogen tanks takes around five minutes. 

The most recent concept version was at the Tokyo motor show in 2013, and the production version stayed remarkably similar to it. 

In Japan, sales of the FCV will be restricted to Toyota dealers in the areas of Japan that already have a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

Toyota believes it can popularise hydrogen as a fuel just as it has pioneered hybrid technology in the past 16 years. However, there is a small but very vocal opposition in the US to the adoption of hydrogen as a fuel because much of today’s hydrogen is made by ‘steam reforming’ methane gas. Tesla boss Elon Musk has already called fuel cells “a load of rubbish”.

In a speech announcing the name of the car, Akio Toyoda said: "Today, we are at a turning point in automotive history. A turning point where people will embrace a new, environmentally-friendly car that is a pleasure to drive. A turning point where a four-door sedan can travel 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, can be refuelled in under five minutes and emit only water vapour. A turning point that represents many years and countless hours of work by our team to create a car that redefines the industry.

"All of us at Toyota believe in a future that will be safer, greener and easier for everyone. We imagined a world filled with vehicles that would diminish our dependence on oil and reduce harm to the environment. It was a bold, but inspiring goal. And, today it is a reality.

"Our fuel cell vehicle runs on hydrogen that can be made from virtually anything, even garbage! It has a fuel cell that creates enough electricity to power a house for about a week.

"This is a car that lets you have it all with no compromises. As a test driver, I knew this new fuel cell vehicle had to be truly fun to drive – and believe me, it is. It has a low centre of gravity, which gives it very dynamic handling.

"After surviving millions of miles on the test track and 10 years of testing on public roads in freezing cold and scorching heat, after passing extensive crash tests, and after working with local governments and researchers around the world to help make sure it is easy and convenient to refuel, we are ready to deliver.

"The name we’ve given to our new car is Mirai, which in Japanese means ‘future’. We believe that behind the wheel of the Mirai, we can go places we have never been, to a world that is better, in a car that is better. For us, this isn’t just another car. This is an opportunity–an opportunity to really make a difference. And making a difference is what Toyota is all about. The future has arrived. And it’s called Mirai."