Toyota Mirai Sets World Record By Driving 1,360 KM On One Tank Of Hydrogen

The Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV), which is now in its second generation, has recently achieved a Guinness World Record.

Specifically, the Toyota Mirai was able to travel for 1,360 kilometers in just a single tank of hydrogen fuel. Unlike in battery electric vehicles (BEV), wherein a charge time of at least 30 minutes is needed in order to get a decent range, filling up an FCEV takes just five minutes according to Toyota, which is no different from filling up an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle.

“In 2016, the Toyota Mirai was the first production fuel cell electric vehicle available for retail sale in North America, and now the next generation Mirai is setting distance records,” said Bob Carter, executive vice president, Toyota Motor North America. “We are proud to be leaders of this exciting technology, which is just one of a growing lineup of zero-emission vehicles in our portfolio.”

Guinness World Records adjudicator, Michael Empric, validated the Mirai’s tank with a seal at both the beginning and end of the journey.

The two-day record-breaking attempt began in the Toyota Technical Center (TTC) in Gardena, California. Behind the wheel was professional hypermiler Wayne Gerdes, with his co-pilot Bob Winger in the passenger seat.

During the first they, the duo traveled south to San Ysidro and then north to Santa Barbara cruising through Santa Monica and Malibu beach along the Pacific Coast Highway. They returned to TTC that evening and logged 761 kilometers with only two driver swaps that day.

On the second day, the duo drove through local driving loops this time, driving through rush hour traffic on the San Diego freeway located between Los Angeles and Orange County. They drove until the Mirai had no more hydrogen fuel left and then the team merely coasted back into TTC. In total, the pair accumulated 599 kilometers during that day, thus achieving a total distance of 1,360 kilometers over a two-day period.

Throughout the drive, the Toyota Mirai consumed 5.65 kilograms of hydrogen fuel and passed through a total of 12 hydrogen stations without even refueling. The record-breaking attempt was also driven under realistic road conditions, taking into account rush hour traffic, and ambient temperatures that ranged from 18 to 28 degrees Celsius.

No CO2 was emitted throughout the journey, and Toyota says if the same attempt was done with an ICE car, it would have emitted 301 kilograms of CO2.