The Mirai is ready for sale in Japan first on December 15, and the Toyota Motor Corp is planning to launch the first fuel-cell car in the next month to imitate the success of Prius hybrid with the vehicle by replacing the consumption of gasoline with the hydrogen. The Mirai (the Japanese word that means future) is a four-seater sedan that will be introduced for sale in the four cities of Japan on 15th December.
In the United States and Europe, the car will be offered for the sale in the fourth quarter of 2015. The famous automaker of the world is ready to unveil the car in California and Tokyo at the same time.
The “green car” fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) consume electricity by assimilating hydrogen fuel and oxygen in the air, a unique technology used in the Apollo moon project in the 1960s. The Managing Officer of Toyota Satoshi Ogiso states that recent technology can change the world. The cost of the Mirai will be 6.7 million yen that is equal to $57,460 without taxes in Japan. The subsidy of 2.02 million yen on the FCV purchases is announced on Tuesday. Its cost will be $57,500 in the United States, but the price can be dropped to $45,000 after the effects of federal and state incentives.
Toyota has decided to make 700 global sales in the upcoming year due to the scarcity of hydrogen fuel stations. They are expecting the 3,000 cumulative U.S. sales at the end of 2017. The chairman of Toyota hopes to increase sales up to tens of thousands in the 2020s. The Honda Motor Co divulged the pre-production version of FCV in Tokyo, but there is no sales target yet. It is a unique thought of Toyota Motor Corp because they want to replicate the success of the Prius hybrid with the hydrogen running vehicle. It is great news for the users because it is a great replacement to deal with the scarcity and dangers of gasoline. The expected sales volume in the United States for the next year is 200, and the volume will be increased up to 3,000 in 2017.
According to the anticipations of the experts of Toyota, the maximum people will go for the three-year lease at $499 per month. The fuel cell vehicle uses electricity from the hydrogen and oxygen cell combination and as a result, the water vapors will be released. Unfortunately, there are very few hydrogen fuel stations all over the world, and it is the biggest challenge for carmakers. In order to solve this problem, Toyota is looking to invest in the fuel stations in California and Northeastern United States. California has promised for the $200 million in the next 10 years to construct 100 stations. High prices and scarcity of oil is the major concern for both governments and customers. Climate warming tailpipe emission is another problem pushing the automakers to develop vehicles that can run without or with very little gasoline to cut down the use of gasoline.