Toyota Mirai OFFICIALLY the name of Toyota’s new FCV (+video)

Toyota has announced that the name of its production hydrogen fuel cell saloon will be the Toyota Mirai, ahead of its official launch in Japan tomorrow.

Back in July, we reported that the new production hydrogen fuel cell car from Toyota would be called the Toyota Mirai, and today – ahead of the official debut of Toyota’s FCV in Japan tomorrow, Toyota has confirmed the report.

The Mirai – which means ‘The Future’ in Japanese – is Toyota’s mark in the sand for a hydrogen-fuelled car future, promising zero tailpipe emissions, all the benefits of an EV but the ability to refuel in just minutes and a range of around 350 miles.

Launching in Japan this week – and arriving in the UK, Europe and the USA in 2015 – the Mirai will be the first ‘mass market’ hydrogen fuel cell car on the market (although the Hyundai ix35 FCEV SUV is already in private hands in the UK) but will soon be followed by more hydrogen-powered cars from other car makers.

But just like EVs, a refuelling network is key to hydrogen-powered cars being taken up by car buyers, and there are plans afoot for Toyota to roll out a network of hydrogen refuelling stations in the North East States of the US (as well as in California) and the UK and Germany are making efforts to make hydrogen fuel more accessible.

A world populated by hydrogen cars is still some way off, but it does offer the most potential for an alternatively-fuelled car market.

Video: Akio Toyoda introduces the Toyota Mirai