The 2016 Toyota Mirai FCV may “procreate” into a family of vehicles

By Albert Khoury October 5, 2015

2016 Toyota Mirai FCV — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Toyota Mirai FCV (fuel cell vehicle) may follow in the Prius’s footsteps to establish a family of cars for eco-minded consumers. According to Autocar, chief engineer Yoshikazu Tanaka said that he would like to see the Mirai “procreate” into a full line of vehicles, similar to the variants of the Prius that include the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Prius v wagon, and the subcompact Prius c. He gives a window of 10-20 years for FCVs to attain the sale volumes enjoyed by hybrids today.

Related: First Drive: 2016 Toyota Mirai

Toyota’s family of hybrid and electric vehicles includes models from Lexus, its luxury division arm. With eight million global sales, Toyota sells more alternative fuel vehicles than any other manufacturer, far head of Honda and Ford, who hold the number two and three spots.

Tanaka did not discuss details regarding the Mirai’s configurations, but according to a source, a wagon, hatchback, MPV, and SUV may be considered. The Mirai is being built at the low-volume Motomachi Plant in Japan, where the Lexus LFA supercar was assembled.

Extracting hydrogen from renewable resources is a costly process, and it is one of the main roadblocks for the mass production hydrogen FCVs. The infrastructures needed to extract the gas also burn fossil fuels.

Toyota Mirai — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Progress has been advancing in other areas. In 2008, a fuel cell that weighed 240 pounds and produced 121 horsepower now weighs 125 pounds and produces 154 horsepower.

Toyota stated in a press release that production of the Mirai will be limited to 200 vehicles this year, initially available only in California. The cars were made available for order at eight dealerships in July, and will be delivered to customers this month. The world’s biggest car manufacturer plans to have 3,000 units on the road by the end of 2017.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Al started his career at a downtown Manhattan publisher, and has since worked with digital and print publications. He's…

Cars

The state of solid-state batteries: We may be on the cusp of an EV revolution

Factorial solid-state battery

Electric vehicles may have become a whole lot more popular over the past five years or so, but that’s despite some issues they still face regarding things like limited range and slow charging speeds. The result of these issues is that plenty of buyers are unsure about whether an EV might be for them. But there’s one technology that has been hailed as a savior for all of the EV issues related to batteries, and that’s solid-state battery tech.

This technology has been so hyped for so long that, at this point in time, it seems not only almost mythical, but as if we might never actually see it in the real world. So, what’s the state of solid-state batteries right now, and how far are we from finally seeing them and reaping their rewards? Here’s a look.
What are solid-state batteries?
What is a solid-state battery in the first place? Solid-state batteries keep the fundamentals of traditional battery design, offering an anode and a cathode with a porous separator in the middle, and a substance through which electrons flow from one side to the other. This, in turn, creates a circuit. But while a conventional battery is built with a liquid electrolyte solution on the inside, a solid-state battery instead makes the separator between the anode and the cathode the electrolyte itself.

Cars

Audi RS e-Tron GT Performance unveiled as a 912-hp electric sedan

2025 audi rs e tron gt performance specs pictures features

Audi's roster of past high-performance models includes the rally-winning Quattro and the V10-powered R8, but the new RS E-Tron GT Performance outguns them all. With up to 912 horsepower on tap, this electric sedan stands proud as the most powerful Audi ever built.

Starting with the RS E-Tron GT, which is related to the Porsche Taycan, engineers updated the front axle's electric motor and integrated a new, lighter electric motor into the rear axle to reach the 912-horsepower figure. Audi notes that this mammoth amount of power can only be unlocked temporarily when the launch control function is engaged, however. Other improvements helped the German company add horses to the E-Tron's cavalry, including a new chemistry for the 105-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack's cells and a revised cooling system.

Cars

Ram 1500 REV vs. Ford F-150 Lightning: Classic trucks go electric

Ford F-150 Lightning

The first Ram electric pickup truck is on the way. The Ram 1500 REV is set to be one of the most desirable electric trucks out there, thanks not only to the Ram name but also to its high-end specifications.

But, of course, it's certainly not the first electric truck out there. The Ford F-150 Lightning is a favorite among electric truck buyers, thanks to the fact that it continues that Ford F-150 legacy with a tried-and-true design coupled with new technologies.