Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday launched India’s first green hydrogen-based advanced fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), Toyota Mirai. The hydrogen-powered sedan car has been introduced in the country as a part of a pilot project that is being conducted by International Center for Automotive Technology (ICAT) along with Toyota Kirloskar Motor Pvt. Ltd. to study and evaluate the Toyota Mirai on Indian roads and climatic conditions.
Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has launched the pilot project for the Mirai hydrogen based advanced fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) and said this is the first-of-its-kind project in India that aims to create an ecosystem for such vehicles in the country.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor claimed that Toyota Mirai is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell battery pack and capable of providing a range up to 600 km in a single charge, with a refuelling time of five minutes. The Hydrogen breaks down into electricity which powers the sedan, and the only residue is water that comes out of the Mirai’s tail pipe. The pilot project aims to provide hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles for commercial purposes in the country.
The pilot project will help the government ascertain the reliability of hydrogen fuel cell powered EVs in the country, and also if they can be used as a substitute to petrol and diesel vehicles along with regular battery-powered electric vehicles. Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) will be supplying Hydrogen for the vehicle.
In an official statement, the road transport ministry had said India is committed to cleaner energy and a low-carbon pathway for achieving accelerated economic growth, according to the statement. It had said hydrogen is a key element of the energy strategy and will play a key role in the low-carbon energy pathways.
