Electric vehicles are becoming more popular, as car makers are looking for ways to think outside the box and look to the future of the industry.
Toyota is doing just that with their new Mirai.
Toyota released a new version of their Mirai, a hydrogen-powered car, and it could be the first step towards a hydrogen trend in the car industry.
The Mirai takes in hydrogen gas, charges in under five minutes and travels as far as a gasoline car while only emitting water vapor.
Toyota first released the Mirai back in 2014, but according to Bloomberg the company, has only sold about 11 thousand units in six years.
But this new version is expected to be more popular because it fixes some of the problems.
Toyota increased the car’s range by 30% to last about 528 miles per charge by adding a third fuel tank below the vehicle floor.
Bloomberg reports hydrogen has been touted by some as the key that will enable countries to decarbonize some of the most polluting segments of their economies such as refining, heating and transportation, where the fuel can be used to replace gas and diesel.
Hydrogen itself carries three times as much energy per unit weight as petrol.
And it can be produced anywhere with electricity and water, potentially releasing no carbon emissions in the process if the electricity is generated using renewable energy, therefore hydrogen vehicles can be better for the environment.
The problem is the price.
Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates that generating enough hydrogen to meet a quarter of the world’s energy needs would require an investment of $11 trillion in production, storage and transport infrastructure.
So all-in-all, the industry won’t change overnight, but this new Mirai could be a big first step.