In June of this year, a Toyota Mirai set a new world record for the longest distance traveled by a mass-produced hydrogen vehicle, covering 1,003km on a single refueling in France. This record has now been broken in the United States, where a Mirai has covered a whopping 1,360km on a round trip tour of Southern California.
The record attempt was closely monitored by Guinness World Records, with officials present to ensure compliance with the strict rules and that all documentation procedures were carried out correctly. Michael Empric, a Guinness World Records judge, validated the Mirai tank (better to say “the tanks” since the Mirai has two) with a seal both at the beginning and at the end of the trip.
During the two days of the enterprise (23 and 24 August 2021), Mirai recorded 152 MPGe with water as the only emission. At the wheel of the attempt there was professional hypermiler Wayne Gerdes, which he joined co-pilot Bob Winger, with both having started the journey from Toyota Technical Center (TTC) in Gardena, California, after a full refueling of hydrogen which lasted approximately five minutes.
The duo would then go south to San Ysidro and then north to Santa Barbara passing through Santa Monica and Malibu Beach along the Pacific Coast Highway. At the end of the first day, after two driver changes and the return to TTC in the evening, the Mirai covered 761 km.
The second day involved more driving circuits, adding 599km by driving through the morning and afternoon rush hour traffic on the San Diego Freeway between Los Angeles and Orange County, before the car ran out of hydrogen and ran into the TTC by inertia.
Toyota Mirai, with record mileage hydrogen and zero CO2 emissions
“As a judge of the Guinness World Records for 10 years, I have had the opportunity to witness incredible attempts, including several distance-related feats. The trip of the Toyota Mirai without the need to refuel showcases the power of electric fuel cell technology. This and the design ingenuity of the Toyota team led to a historic moment “, Empric said.
At the end of the journey, the Mirai consumed a total of 5.65 kg of hydrogen and did not need to stop to refuel at any of the 12 hydrogen stations along the routes. Toyota adds that the car was driven mainly during rush hour traffic in temperatures between 18 and 28 degrees Celsius. It also emitted zero CO2, an incredible result if you think that a vehicle with a standard combustion engine, traveling the same kilometers, would have emitted about 301 kg of CO2.