확실히 친환경 부문에서 토요타의 행보는 다른 메이커보다 적극적입니다. 미래를 위한 먹거리인제 마케팅을 위한 노력인지는 두고 볼 일이지만 사용자 입장에선 나쁘게 보이진 않네요. 이 차의 핵심은 못생겼지만 미래차에 대한 가능성을 앞당겼다는 것입니다. 가격이 동급의 가솔린차와 큰 차이가 나지 않습니다. 게다가 수소를 충전하면 한번에 300마일까지 달릴 수 있죠. 수소충전소 보급이 문젠데 이건 브랜드가 할 일이라기보다는 정부 차원에서 지원이 필요한 문제입니다.
Washington, DC, Jan. 22, 2015 – Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the Mirai, made its East Coast debut today at the DC Auto Show where a senior executive called for government and industry stakeholders to help kick start the hydrogen infrastructure needed to make fuel cell zero emission vehicles available to more drivers.
“Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles launched between 2015 and 2020 will require a concerted effort and collaboration between automakers, government regulators, academia and energy providers,” said Nihar Patel, Toyota's Vice President of North American Business Strategy. The all new Toyota Mirai has a range of up to 300 miles, takes about 5 minutes to refuel and emits only water vapor. It will go on sale in the US later this year. We are calling on the new Congress to reinstate the tax incentives for hydrogen companies that build refueling stations and for consumers who would like to purchase fuel cell vehicles. Patel also noted that with the expiration of the federal fuel cell credit last year purchasers of zero emission plug-in electric vehicles receive a $7,500 tax credit while buyers of zero emission fuel cell electric vehicles receive no credit whatsoever. “Consumers and the investment community need a clear signal that government is not choosing winners or losers in the zero emission vehicle race. These vehicles should be treated equally to allow the market to decide,” he said. Patel cited Toyota’s recent decision to release nearly 5,700 global patents, royalty free, to competitors as means to help move from a hydrocarbon to a hydrogen- based society. “Hopefully, by sharing our patents with other vehicle and parts manufacturers, components and systems can be refined and improved to increase performance, reduce cost and attract a much broader mainstream market of buyers.” Toyota announced today that because of demand, it will increase global production capacity of the Mirai to more than 5,700 by the end of 2017. While most refueling stations are currently located in California, Patel said the company is partnering with Air Liquide—one of the world’s most experienced hydrogen suppliers to develop and supply a phased network of 12 state-of-the-art hydrogen stations in 5 states: New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. These states and locations have been strategically selected to support the greater New York and Boston areas as well as provide the backbone of a hydrogen highway for the Northeast corridor. Patel said the company planned to talk with Maryland’s new governor and the new mayor of Washington about the hydrogen infrastructure in the mid-Atlantic region.
