Toyota Mirai Delivers a Range of More Than 300 Miles

2016 Toyota Mirai (Credit: © Toyota)

Most major automakers are hard at work finding an alternative to gasoline, as the demand for fermented and refined dino blood outweighs the supply left beneath the Earth’s crust. While there are plenty of options, like electric and natural gas, both still rely, to an extent, fossil fuels. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, on the other hand, do not directly rely on fossil fuels, but the jury is still out on just how good hydrogen-fueled fuel-cell vehicles are.

Toyota is one of the first manufacturers to go all in on building a mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle with its Mirai, and today, the Japanese automaker has revealed just how thrifty it is.

In EPA testing the Mirai displayed an average range of 312 miles on a full tank of hydrogen, putting it just over the 300-mile mark that so many buyers are looking for in alternative-fuel vehicles. This results in a fuel-economy rating of 67 mpg-e combined.

Unlike electric cars, hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle still require regular fill ups of hydrogen, and there is still some unrest regarding the price of hydrogen. Fortunately, Toyota is helping Mirai buyers out by offering three years of free hydrogen fill ups. In addition to free fuel, you also get a traditional rental car for seven days per year, three years of 24/7 customer support, no-cost scheduled maintenance for three years, and an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty on all key fuel-cell vehicle components.

The downside to the Mirai is that it won’t be cheap at $58,325, but buyers can get it on a lease for $499 per month after lumping down $3,649. What’s more, the Mirai will initially only be available in California.