Toyota's new hydrogen sedan will be on sale next year for $57,500, free fuel for 3 years

[Aniallation]

http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/18/7242785/toyotas-new-hydrogen-powered-mirai-sedan-will-be-on-sale-next-year
http://jalopnik.com/the-hydrogen-toyota-mirai-gets-three-years-of-free-fuel-1660046315
 
Them angles... I should get one, paint it black and red, and call it the STRIX Corolla. That'll provide a huge bump in sales.
 

 

Toyota has been teasing its upcoming hydrogen fuel cell car for the better part of the year, but at the Los Angeles auto show it has announced that consumers will be able to buy the Mirai sedan for $57,500 when it goes on sale in 2015. However, Toyota claims the final price for the four-door vehicle should be significantlylower when factoring in state and federal incentives that could push the price "under $45,000" when all is said and done.

 

As for the technology behind this car, Toyota claims that its fuel cell stack will be refillable in about five minutes and provide a driving range of 300 miles. It's no performance beast, but that range should make the driving experience much more like a standard gas-powered vehicle rather than most current electric vehicles, which still aren't quite feasible for most long-distance drives.

Of course, there are even less places to refuel a hydrogen-powered car than there are standard electric chargers — that five-minute refuel time won't be very useful if you can't find a place to fill up your car. To that end, the Mirai will first be only available in California, where a hydrogen refueling infrastructure is currently being built out. By the end of 2015, Toyota says some 20 stations will be online, with another 28 launching in 2016. Toyota also says that 2016 will see the first construction of stations on the east coast, with 12 stations spread across five states (New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island) expected that year.

 

Until more stations become commonplace, hydrogen-powered cars will remain a niche curiosity — but it's easy to see the attraction to such a vehicle. The Mirai (and other similar vehicles) use no gasoline and emit only water vapor in the process. That complete lack of emissions coupled with a more extensive range than current electrical cars makes hydrogen-powered cars sound like a pretty huge step forward in automotive technology.

 

Toyota will launch their mid-size hydrogen sedan next fall, with a range of up to 300 miles, 153 horsepower and a $57,500 price tag which includes free hydrogen for up to three years. But you can only get it in California.

[terrytek]

Looks like a cross between the new gen Corolla and the previous gen Camry. But what does the inside look like?

[Speedyv]

That thing is "gawping"

[TheSLSAMG]

Other than the ass, I don't mind it. Then again, I have been around Toyotas my entire life, seeing as my dad work for them and we have two in the family (2013 Land Cruiser, 2013 Avalon.)

 

 

Am I the only one who thinks this is pretty? (sans Hybrid of course)

[Aniallation]

Looks like a cross between the new gen Corolla and the previous gen Camry. But what does the inside look like?

Updated post with interior pic

[Imabigmac]

Not a fan of the styling and put into the market at the wrong time. 

[AlexStriz]

looks like a bulldog..

 

for the first time in my life, I prefer a Honda to a Toyota.... 

 

[TheKDub]

Meh I don't like it, and why the fuck did they put the gauges in the middle? now you will have to look over to the side and down to see them instead of just glancing down.

[terrytek]

Updated post with interior pic

Oh my god. Touchscreen center console. My fangirl is starting to rip me from the outside. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[Fred Castellum]

Interesting tech, but I get this feeling that hydrogen isn't going to be viable. Just the process of converting it requires more energy than it produces. 

 

I'll stick with Solar Panels and a Tesla made car.

[terrytek]

Interesting tech, but I get this feeling that hydrogen isn't going to be viable. Just the process of converting it requires more energy than it produces. 

 

I'll stick with Solar Panels and a Tesla made car.

But it's Hydrogen. The most plentiful element ever.

[Aniallation]

Meh I don't like it, and why the fuck did they put the gauges in the middle? now you will have to look over to the side and down to see them instead of just glancing down.

It's been like that since the original Prius from 1997.

[handymanshandle]

I don't normally care about cars but...

[Aniallation]

Oh my god. Touchscreen center console. My fangirl is starting to rip me from the outside. EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Ford have had touch center consoles for a while now.

[Speedyv]

Interesting tech, but I get this feeling that hydrogen isn't going to be viable. Just the process of converting it requires more energy than it produces. 

 

I'll stick with Solar Panels and a Tesla made car.

 

 

Not exactly groundbreaking either:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_FCX_Clarity

 

[TheSLSAMG]

looks like a bulldog..

 

for once in my life, I prefer a Honda to a Toyota....

 

To be fair, that's not production. The Toyota is a production car. If concepts, how about this? I know I'm taking it into a different genre, but why not?

 

[Aniallation]

Hmmm...

 

[Imabigmac]

Meh I don't like it, and why the fuck did they put the gauges in the middle? now you will have to look over to the side and down to see them instead of just glancing down.

Because they don't want you to realise that your speeding, that way when your car gets permanently impounded for you will buy another one and then Toyota will make more money. 

 

 Illuminati confirmed  

 

 

 

Hmmm...

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like some engineer at Honda got a Pirus and Civic and started trading frame panels around

[Octavialicious]

By the realease I will have my license, and this would be a sweet car to have! probs too expensive though.

[Speedyv]

Hmmm...

 

-snip-

 

Huh?

[Aniallation]

 

Because they don't want you to realise that your speeding, that way when your car gets permanently impounded for you will buy another one and then Toyota will make more money. 

 

 Illuminati confirmed  

They're not the only ones

 

(I had one of these before for two months, and I never knew you could tilt the storage box backwards to hold drinks like that)

[SteveGrabowski]

Interesting tech, but I get this feeling that hydrogen isn't going to be viable. Just the process of converting it requires more energy than it produces. 

 

I'll stick with Solar Panels and a Tesla made car.

 

Eh, at 1400 watts per square meter max, even with NASA grade solar panels I doubt you're even close to powering a real car. I do like the idea of either a hydrogen + battery hybrid or a natural gas + battery hybrid though.

[connorpiper]

I would buy it. 

Unless it was that or Volvo.

 

Also, another reason to live in Cali. 

[Electrostatik]

Who thought that bumper was a good idea?  Terrible

 

Sometimes I suspect Big Oil pays car companies to make their alternative fuel models ugly. 

[Fred Castellum]

But it's Hydrogen. The most plentiful element ever.

Read below, there are more factors in play then "it" just being plentiful. It need to be economical, efficient with power conversion, and have a solid path for advancement. If we look at solar and battery tech, both are improving in experimental phases, we now have solar panels that can collect power even when its extraordinarily cloudy.

 

Eh, at 1400 watts per square meter max, even with NASA grade solar panels I doubt you're even close to powering a real car. I do like the idea of either a hydrogen + battery hybrid or a natural gas + battery hybrid though.

I didn't say anything about bolting solar panels onto cars. Solar Panel tech is improving at a pretty nice rate, solar companies like SolarCity(SCTY) and Vivint Solar(VSLR) are taking the lead.

 

The thing with Hydrogen is converting it requires more energy than it's able to produce right now. It's not a very economical solution, though companies like PLUG are pushing for it. 

 

EDIT: Oh oh and graphene may play a major roll in future battery tech!