1. Sustainability
  2. Carbon Neutrality
  3. Vehicle life cycle assessments
  4. LCA: 2nd Generation Mirai

Hydrogen in its most beautiful form

The 2nd generation Mirai
The Mirai’s updated hydrogen fuel cell signals the new age of zero emission driving with efficiency, leading power and longevity. 

Life cycle approach

The Mirai offers a great zero-emission solution, allowing comfortable and safe mobility, in a sustainable way. Beyond tailpipe CO2 emissions, we find ways for further CO2 reduction by looking at a vehicle’s entire life cycle, meaning design, production, customer ownership, driving, disposal and recycling. To measure the overall environmental impact of the Mirai, a detailed LCA was carried out in accordance with ISO 14040/44. The 2nd generation Mirai was developed to deliver the best environmental performance possible. In future, when hydrogen will be massively produced by renewable energy, the CO2 emissions from well to wheel will be even more drastically reduced, bringing us closer to our goal of carbon neutrality.

A cleaner, greener drive

Far more than an eco-car, the new Mirai pushes the boundaries of hydrogen power and reveals the potential of Toyota’s fuel cell technology This new-age technology is powered by a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen within the fuel cells, with no tailpipe emissions other than water. Adopting our GA-L platform has allowed the fuel cell stack and drivetrain components to be repackaged in a way that makes more efficient use of space.

Also thanks to this platform, the 2nd generation Mirai can carry more hydrogen fuel on board, resulting in a 30% increase in its driving range. The new Mirai can be driven up to 650 km on full tanks, using only 0.79 kg of hydrogen per 100 km*. It’s an enticing glimpse into Toyota’s vision for clean mobility and a future hydrogen society. 

*WLTP combined cycle

It starts at the plant

The Motomachi plant in Japan, where Mirai is produced uses 100% renewable electricity on the production lines for the vehicle and its electrified system parts, including the high-pressure hydrogen tanks and fuel cell stacks. To promote the introduction and use of hydrogen energy-based technologies and to meet the Plant Zero CO2 Emissions Challenge, we have introduced SimpleFuel™ , a simplified hydrogen station.

It uses electricity from solar panels at the plant site to produce low-carbon hydrogen from the electrolysis of water. The hydrogen is then compressed and pressurised, and made available for the fuel cell forklifts operating at the plant. One station produces nearly 9 kg of hydrogen/day, enough to keep eight fuel cell forklifts in operation. 

 

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    Optimising resources

    Resource efficiency plays an important role at Toyota. The recoverability rate of the Mirai exceeds 95%. As the Mirai's fuel cell stack uses the precious metal platinum, TMC created the world's first stack collection and recycling network. Increased use of aluminium in vehicle production, provides a simple and effective way to improve performance and reducing emissions while maintaining, or even increasing safety and durability. Toyota has developed a method for recycling scrap aluminium from production, in co-operation with our material suppliers. Recycled aluminium from this new initiative is used for the first time in bodywork parts of the new Mirai.  

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    Water optimisation

    The Motomochi plant also makes a significant contribution to our Optimising Water Usage challenge. Quantity and quality measures are carefully applied, using new methods for saving water and technologies for treating wastewater.

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    Harmony with Nature

    To achieve Harmony with Nature we are continuously fostering biodiversity around our plants by creating new habitats for plants and wildlife, fostering biodiversity. Two examples of wildlife present in our plants are the king fisher and dragonflies.

    The brilliant blue of the kingfisher’s back feathers is not the result of pigment, but the result of light striking specially modified layers of feather cells.

    Dragonflies are some of the quickest flying insects in the universe! They can reach speeds over 48 km/h. However, most fly at a slower 29 km/h.

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Vehicle Life Cycle Assessments Tracking and improving the environmental impact of our products throughout their full life cycle