Californians Show Strong Interest In Toyota Mirai With 1900 Pre-Orders
By Paulo Acoba
There have been 1900 preorders for the 2016 Toyota Mirai in two months.
1900 Toyota Mirais. That’s the number of preorders that hit Toyotas internal processing department in total since the preorder site hit the web just two months ago according to Toyota earlier this week (October 1, 2015.) Toyota Mirais are the first mass produced hyrdogen powered vehicle that Toyota wants to see 3000 units of on United States roads by the end of 2017. And with this many people raising their hands for one, it looks like Toyota won’t have a problem meeting supply. Toyota did say they only plan to allocate 1000 units to the sunshine state so not everyone will be receiving one next year. We imagine government agencies, Hollywood A-list celebrities and really enthusiastic early adopters will be among the first to receive their Mirais.
At an MSRP of $58,325, the Toyota Mirai isn’t exactly for middle-class America. Being a testbed of sorts for Toyota, its primary mission is to see just how feasible Hydrogen power can be as an alternative fuel. As of right now, there are less than 20 hydrogen refueling stations in California alone with many in development. Your proximity to an operational hydrogen refueling station increases your chances of actually getting a Toyota Mirai. With a range of 300 miles, that gives you a good idea who Toyota will allocate the first 1000 units to (if you live in the Central Valley or near the Oregon border, chances are slim to none you’ll be even considered.)
Toyota Mirais are hand built by a team of specialists which would explain the long wait times. The Toyota Mirai is powered by a fuel cell stack ssytem that combines hydrogen gas from tanks with O2 to produce electricity. That electricity then powers an electric motor good for 153 HP to the front wheels. Refueling takes less than five minutes. Still longer than gas but much shorter than an EV.
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