Toyota hydrogen fuel cell vehicle tests begin in China this fall

Toyota hydrogen fuel cell car Mirai has a range of 300 miles

Testing of the Toyota hydrogen fuel cell car Mirai will begin in China this October, an effort by the Japanese auto giant to determine the feasibility of hydrogen electric vehicle sales in the market.

Along with testing the Toyota Mirai, the head of Toyota’s China business Hiroji Onishi says the carmaker will also build a hydrogen fuel station in the city of Changshu located in the eastern Jiangshu province in time for the tests.

Speaking at a media event prior to the Shanghai auto show opening later this week,  Onishi, Toyota wants to test the car’s performance and the quality of locally availably hydrogen.

The Mirai is a four-person sedan that was first introduced by Toyota in 2014 and has a range of 300 miles.  The car has been for sale in Japan since late 2014 and is now available in the US as well as some European markets.

Since January 2016 through to February of this year, Toyota says it has sold about 3,000 Mirai fuel-cell cars globally.

Along with the Mirai, Onishi says Toyota will begin selling plug-in electric hybrid cars in China next year and is looking to get an all-battery car to the Chinese market, but no timeframe for the rollout of the EV was given.

Mirai means “future” in Japanese.