All-electric Toyota Mirai Spotted In India; Could It Launch Here?

• The Toyota Mirai’s electric powertrain develops 151PS and 335Nm.
• It draws power from hydrogen fuel cells and has a claimed range of 502km.
• It gets a 11-speaker JBL sound system, dual-zone climate control as well as powered front seats.
• With stringent CAFE norms set to be implemented in 2022, Toyota might be evaluating the Mirai for India.

With Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (CAFE) norms set to become stricter in 2022, automotive manufacturers are looking at all possible ways to bring cleaner cars to our shores. Some manufacturers are planning to replace diesel models with ones powered by CNG while the focus for electric vehicles is high on the radar as well.  Now, Toyota seems to be evaluating the Mirai, an all-electric car that draws power from hydrogen fuel cells, for India. The car you see in the picture above was spotted at Toyota’s facility in Bangalore.

The Toyota Mirai is powered by an all-electric motor that develops 151PS of power and 335Nm of torque. It draws power from 370 fuel cells while hydrogen gas is stored in a 60-litre tank. All of this helps the Mirai offer a range of 502km. Fuel cell vehicles use hydrogen gas to power an electric motor. The combination of hydrogen and oxygen produce electricity that is used to run the motor. 

Only the rear three quarters of the Mirai is visible in the spy shot. It comes with a split LED tail lamps, with the top section being connected units. You can also notice the blacked out pillars and roof to give it a floating effect while dual tone alloys are present for more bling. Based on the international-spec model, the front-end comes with sleek headlamps and a grille that mimics the ones on the Corolla Altis. 

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The Mirai’s cabin feels well appointed. It comes with a centrally mounted speedometer and multi-info display. Below that is a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system while the touch-based controls for the dual-zone climate control look swell. 

Just like any other Toyota, the Mirai comes equipped with a handful of goodies. Yes, the infotainment system doesn’t support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. But apart from that, you get features like all-LED headlamps, a 11-speaker JBL sound system, dual-zone climate control, powered front seats, heated steering wheel and seats, coloured multi-info display as well as three years of free connected car tech.

Safety features include eight airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, radar cruise control as well as road sign assist.

So do you think the Mirai is the perfect green car for India? Well, not in the current scenario since sourcing hydrogen as a fuel is quite difficult in India. But current Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) norms state that a manufacturer’s entire fleet should emit less than 130gm per km till 2022 and lesser than 113gm after that. Currently, Toyota sells more diesel-powered cars than petrols and the carmaker will soon be upgrading its diesel engines to meet BS6 emission norms. But with CAFE norms set to become more stringent, the carmaker needs to have a lot more greener cars in its lineup to meet the target. The Mirai could then help Toyota achieve these targets alongside the Camry Hybrid.

Image Source - TeamBHP.com