What is a hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle?
While it may not be the most common vehicle you will see on dealership lots, the Toyota Mirai is quite unique in not just its style or availability, but also its power source. The 2021 Toyota Mirai, which has been redesigned as it enters its next generation, is a hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle. What is a hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle? Let’s take a look at what this entails as well as the history of this kind of fuel in the automotive world.Â
Hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle power explained
We’re going to get all Bill Nye on you here, but please bear with us! The origins of hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) technology actually date all the way back to 1839. That year, a physicist from Wales combined hydrogen and oxygen in the presence of an electrolyte. That ended up producing an electric current. Much later on in the space race, that kind of technology was being used in the Apollo spacecraft to provide electricity and water from hydrogen and oxygen that had been stored up for that kind of use.
The whole thing essentially works by having a fuel cell system that combines stored hydrogen with oxygen from the air to produce an electric current, heat, and water. In a car, it works similar to a plug-in electric vehicle, however, it does not need to be plugged in. The fuel cell itself is made up of an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte membrane. The hydrogen then goes through the anode while oxygen is run through the cathode. As the hydrogen moves along this route, it breaks into electrons and protons. The protons will go through the electrolyte membrane while the electrons run in a circuit to generate heat and a current of electricity. See, we told you we’d be going Bill Nye for a bit here!
FCEV in the 2021 Toyota Mirai
The Toyota Mirai is powered using this technology, making it an efficient and environmentally friendly car. After debuting in 2015, the latest variation is expected to have about a 30 percent increase in driving range, and fueling up is expected to be quite simple, as drivers can refuel at an SAE-conforming hydrogen fueling station in California. For 2021, it has also been redesigned to be sleeker and offer a lot more technology. You can find out more by visiting our dedicated 2021 Toyota Mirai page!
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