Toyota taking orders for Mirai fuel cell vehicle in US - Detroit Free Press
TRAVERSE CITY -- As Toyota prepares to sell the Mirai fuel cell vehicle in the U. S. this fall, there remain few hydrogen stations to fill the car's tanks. Toyota has started production of the Mirai in Japan where it is now on sale with a waiting list of customers, said Justin Ward, general manager of the Powertrain System Control Department of the Toyota Technical Center in North America. The car uses hydrogen and fuel cell stacks to generate electricity onboard to power the car. Ward is encouraged that there are plans with First Element Fuels to build 48 state-of-the-art retail stations for hydrogen where you would swipe your credit card and fill your tanks with gaseous hydrogen in less than five minutes. He is hopeful as many as 20 stations will be in place in California by the end of the year and the rest by the end of 2016. He is also hoping a partnership with Air Liquide will result in hydrogen stations in the Mideast next year. The two hydrogen tanks in the mid-size Mirai hold 5 kilograms collectively of hydrogen which fuel the fuel cell stack to produce enough electricity to run for 312 miles. Source: www.freep.com
