Initial Research of Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Engine - Toyota Mirai

 

The Toyota Mirai is an electric car, boasting a unique engine that distinguishes itself from its market rivals. The Mirai uses a Hydrogen fuel-cell stack to power itself, unlike conventional batteries. How does it work? According to Hunting (2023), external oxygen mixes with the hydrogen stored to generate electrical energy, which powers the electric motors. Water is the only waste product due to the mixture, causing zero emissions. Based on the Mirai webpage by Toyota itself, (2023 Toyota Mirai…, Toyota, 2023), the Mirai’s hydrogen engine allows a rapid refuelling time of five minutes. Some additional performance figures and features of the Mirai include a 645- kilometre range on one tank, and three different driving modes depending on the driver’s utilization of the vehicle, (Eco, Normal, and Sport). Since the Mirai’s introduction in 2014, the second generation Mirai boasts many improvements compared to the model before. For starters, the ride is quieter and smoother. Its new engine also provides more power and is lighter, allowing the Mirai to hit 100km/h with much ease. To add on, Toyota, remarkably, achieved these improvements to the engine with parts that cost two-thirds of the engine before (Leow, 2022).

Image taken from:

- https://www.greencarguide.co.uk/car-reviews-and-road-tests/toyota-mirai-first-drive-review/

Sources cited from:

- Hunting, Benjamin. “2023 Toyota Mirai Review: Are Hydrogen Cars the Future?” InsideHook, 14 March 2023, https://www.insidehook.com/autos/review-2023-toyota-mirai-hydrogen-fuel-future/amp. 

- Leow, Ju-Len. “Toyota's futuristic Mirai is still stuck in the future.” The Business Times, 23 December 2022, https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/toyotas-futuristic-mirai-still-stuck-future. 

- Toyota. “2023 Toyota Mirai.” Toyota, https://www.toyota.com/mirai/

Thesis Statement

Cars that utilize hydrogen fuel-cell engines are not ready to be normalized on our roads currently. The cost of making hydrogen fuel-cell pumps is extremely hard to make due to the difficulty of storing hydrogen in a tank. Not only this, but the cost of making the fuel-cell pumps is extremely high as well, as the pumps utilize more complex parts. While the environment might be cleaner due to a waste product of just water, the reduction of petroleum usage benefits the environment as well, The cost and construction problems eventually outweigh these benefits.