Nitin Gadkari Launches Toyota Mirai, a Pilot Study on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle

Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari has launched Toyota Mirai which is a pilot project on green hydrogen-based advanced fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV). The minister said that the Toyota Mirai is the first-of-its-kind project in India that has an objective to create an ecosystem for hydrogen based fuel cell electric vehicles in India.

The car consumes hydrogen as fuel which produces electricity to run the engine and water as a residue. The purpose of the launch, as reported, is also to create awareness about the utility of green hydrogen and FCEV technology.

Nitin Gadkari said during the launch that hydrogen-powered FCEV is one of the best zero-emission solutions as it’s completely environment-friendly with no tailpipe emissions other than water. Gadkari added that green hydrogen can be generated from renewable energy and abundantly available biomass in India.

He also said that the introduction and adoption of technology to tap into the green hydrogen’s potential will play a key role in securing a clean and affordable energy future for India. Other Union Ministers were also present at the launch – Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Power Minister R K Singh and Heavy Industries Minister Mahendra Nath Pandey.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor has partnered with the International Center for Automotive Technology (ICAT) for the pilot project to study and evaluate FCEV Toyota Mirai. The company calls Toyota Mirai world’s most advanced FCEV that runs on hydrogen and best suitable for Indian roads and climatic conditions.

Toyota Mirai FCEV is a mid-sized sedan that has entered the Guinness World Record being an FCEV that has travelled the longest distance of 1359km without refuelling. As per the company the car can travel upto 600km in a single charge.

Nitin Gadkari also said that Toyota Camry will use flex fuel in future whose pilot will also be done in collaboration with International Center for Automotive Technology. The minister also requested companies to reduce electricity costs and install rooftop solar for power generation.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “We strongly believe that this will provide great encouragement and tremendous boost to all the stakeholders who are beginning to work towards hydrogen-based society in support of our national goals and are confident that India can lead in this direction in future. We applaud the Indian government’s relentless efforts towards promoting carbon neutral and electrified technologies and remain fully committed to supporting the national objectives.”