It was originally designed to be a Corvair, but the engineers realized the hydrogen storage system would be too massive to fit into a sedan, and instead opted to use a Chevy Handivan to hold the tanks and fuel cell. Chevy never released the Electrovan as a production car, as the technology was simply impractical in terms of efficiency and in terms of hydrogen fuel infrastructure. Hydrogen cars lay dormant for nearly 30 years afterward, until Toyota began its now-massive hydrogen program in 1992.
Fast forward to 2024, hydrogen-powered cars are about as usable as EVs and ICE cars (provided you're around fuel infrastructure). Hydrogen cars offer ranges of hundreds of miles. The best part? No long charge, no waiting, you just fill up like you would with gasoline. Here's what we know about the longest-range hydrogen car in the world, which is the Toyota Mirai.
The Toyota Mirai Holds The Record For Longest Trip On A Tank Of Hydrogen
Surprising no one, the kings of hydrogen, Toyota, hold the record for the longest ride on a single tank of hydrogen. Its Mirai set a Guinness World Record for the longest hydrogen-powered trip. The Mirai is the culmination of Toyota's 30-year hydrogen plan and feats like this prove it. On the one hand, the Mirai is a very ordinary car, a simple sedan that makes sense as a comfortable and quiet option in the real world. However, it is also capable of these incredible feats of engineering.
A Mirai Did An 845 Mile Ride In 2021
In August 2021, hypermiler Wayne Gerdes and his co-pilot Bob Winger drove the car around the Southern California region. Over a two-day span, they covered over 800 miles, starting and finishing their trip at Toyota's SoCal hydrogen headquarters.
The car was driven during long periods of rush hour traffic, which is not even a particularly efficient set of conditions. This theoretically means the Mirai may be able to do a longer run on a different route. The whole thing was monitored by a Guinness World Record adjudicator named Michael Empric.
The Trip Was An Ecological Achievement
The breakdown of the trip's efficiency was as follows.
- The Mirai consumed 5.65 kg of hydrogen.
- It emitted zero CO2.
- The average ICE vehicle would have emitted 664 pounds of CO2 in that span.
- They drove past 12 hydrogen fuel stations in the duration of the ride.
Neither Toyota nor its hydrogen competitors like Hyundai have attempted a similar run since 2021. As hydrogen is becoming a hot topic again, it will be interesting to see if any of these companies try to break this Guinness record. It is a mostly untapped field for hypermilers as well, and could be a place where up-and-comers could make a name for themselves.
The Mirai Also Has The Longest EPA Rated Range Of Any Hydrogen Car On The Market
The Mirai is not just a world record holder, it's also the commercial leader in the hydrogen range. Toyota has put in the work to lead the hydrogen automotive world, and its flagship car still stands at the top. 30 years of development has led to a car that breaks records and comes out of the showroom on top of the heap. Per the EPA, no other hydrogen car has a range in the 400s.
402 Miles Is Top Among Production H2 Vehicles
While the record is 845 miles, the Mirai is actually rated for only about half that. The Mirai's 402-mile EPA-estimated range is comparable to the ICE Corolla. It also has the identical rated range of a Tesla Model S. This means that the Mirai already competes with some of the biggest names in the EV and ICE world. It also means that hydrogen has proven it can hang with the more established modes of power, provided the fuel infrastructure catches up.
How Other Hydrogen Vehicles Stack Up
Here's how some of the Mirai's competitors stack up in terms of efficiency.
- Hyundai Nexo: 380 Mile EPA Range.
- Honda Clarity: 366 Mile EPA Range.
- BMW iX5: 300 Mile Estimated Range.
While the Nexo gets close, none of the other cars can touch the Mirai. We'd be interested to see how some of these cars fare in a hypermile situation, however. The big and heavy Nexo and iX5 would probably not fare well on a high-mileage endeavor. The Clarity fuel cell is currently out of production, but Honda has plans for more hydrogen cars in the future. In fact, a hydrogen CR-V is in the works. Perhaps, more challengers could be on the horizon.
Changes To Hydrogen Technology Could Make Trips Even Longer
As we discussed, the fuel cell is about a 200-year-old technology. Even the modernized version of the fuel cell is nearly 100 years old (even if current versions aren't identical to Bacon fuel cells, they're widely inspired by them). This means there's all kinds of room for improvement on hydrogen vehicle tech. Companies are already capitalizing on this, and the new methods of hydrogen delivery will make the driving experience and range even better for those who drive hydrogen cars.
Hydrogen Combustion Will Change The Game For H2 Vehicles
Hydrogen combustion is becoming a greater and greater part of hydrogen's future in the automotive world. Essentially the same technology as traditional ICE, but with zero emissions? Sounds pretty good. As of now, efficiency in cars is not up to the level of fuel cells.
However, in trucks, steps are already being made to have hydrogen combustion engines that will work for long-haul trucking. Cummins sees hydrogen as a superior green option to electrification because it can withstand changes to pressure and temperature much better than electricity can. As these technologies continue to develop, that long-haul revolution should move to cars as well.
New Fuel Systems For H2 Will Also Increase Range
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NamX will have an extremely innovative design for its HUX's fuel system. Instead of a traditional fuel fill-up, you will replace cartridges in the back of the car, reducing the already short fill-up time for a hydrogen vehicle. However, it will also increase the storage capacity. NamX is predicting the HUX will have a range of about 500 miles, ~25-percent more than the Mirai.
Renault also has a new idea for hydrogen driving. They will combine electric and hydrogen power in its Scenic Vision. While it estimates a 385-mile range, its idea of a complete hybrid should eventually lead to a greater range, just like the hybrid did for gasoline-powered cars. As hydrogen becomes more mainstream, these alternative ideas for its application will only push the medium forward.
Potential Threats To The Mirai's Record
More hydrogen-powered brands seem to be cropping up every day. There's Riversimple, the UK brand that wants to democratize auto travel and green engineering. There's the aforementioned NamX, bringing legendary Italian-style mavens Pininfarina into the hydrogen space. However, there's one company everyone seems to be most excited about, Hyperion Motors, a company developing a hydrogen hypercar.
Hyperion Motors Plans To Release a 1,000-mile Range Hypercar
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Typically, one of the major knocks on green driving technology is that it cannot be exciting. As of now, that is largely true about hydrogen. Only simple sedans and SUVs are on the road. However, Hyperion is looking to change that. Where Rimac was able to change the perception around electric performance, Hyperion seeks to do the same thing with H2.
The XP-1 has 2,000 horsepower and a top speed of 221 MPH. However, its real party piece is the range. Hyperion is claiming a 1,000-mile range for the hypercar. This is an unprecedented quantum leap for the green space. If a car that delivers this much power can run that efficiently, what would that technology look like in a car more similar to the Mirai? If the XP-1 can be even 70-percent as good as it claims it will change ecological motoring forever.
While we don't know yet if the XP-1 can live up to its press claims, it would be very interesting to see a car that is essentially the antithesis of the Mirai break its range record. However, for now, Toyota still remains at the top of both the all-time record and commercial hydrogen range lists.