Where many carmakers are betting fully on electricity, Toyota is choosing a different course. The company wants people to drive hydrogen-fueled cars.
Although hydrogen is an interesting green fuel, it does not yet seem to be the alternative to a gasoline car. Motorists prefer a “regular” electric car.
Toyota likes to see things differently and is fully committed to hydrogen. In fact, it even gives you money off if you go for such a variant. Unfortunately, this seems to apply only to the United States.
Toyota gives big discount on hydrogen-powered car
To be exact, we are talking about a limited edition 2023 Toyota Mirai. In total, the discount on the vehicle is about $40,000, which is a hefty sum.
The 2023 limited edition Toyota Mirai has a list value of $66,000. With $40,000 off, the price comes out to $26,000. But that’s not all, because when you buy the car you also get a $15,000 credit that you can spend on hydrogen, the car’s fuel. If you take that off the price as well, you are left with $11,000, which is a pittance for a new car.
(Image: Toyota)
But that’s precisely where the crux lies. It is a car that runs on hydrogen. Where you can fill up with gasoline anywhere and recharge nowadays, with hydrogen it’s a different story. There are not that many places where you can, so you will have to plan your trips carefully.
Painful for the brand
So it seems mostly a desperate attempt by Toyota to keep hydrogen for cars alive. Especially also because in the United States Shell announced to close three hydrogen refueling stations in California, and there were already not that many.
WANT on WhatsApp
We have recently started to be featured on WhatsApp. In our channel we share the best stories, videos and exclusive content you won’t get anywhere else. Follow us here.
And that must hurt quite a bit for Toyota since the company doesn’t have much with all-electric cars. Its offerings relative to other brands are quite limited. The Toyota bz4X and the Proace City are the only cars from the brand that are fully electric. The rest are all hybrids. Except, of course, for the Mirage, which is hybrid hydrogen.
Then again, that’s not so strange since CEO Akio Toyoda said in late 2022 that electric cars are not the solution. Nevertheless, the company is still working hard to bring innovative models to market. So will hydrogen remain primarily something for trucks, or is there really still a future for passenger cars?
