Toyota Mirai wins the race for longest hydrogen fuel cell powered ride

The 2021 Toyota Mirai has officially set the Guinness World Records title for the longest distance by a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle without refueling. The Mirai achieved an unprecedented 1360 km (845 miles) driven on a single, five-minute complete fill of hydrogen during a roundtrip tour of Southern California as it set the record. 

With its only emission water, the journey sets a new distance milestone for zero-emission vehicles.

By the end of the trip, the Toyota Mirai consumed 5.65kg of hydrogen. It passed a total of 12 hydrogen stations along the drive routes without refueling. Two car specialists drove the Mirai mostly during rush hour traffic in temperatures between 65 to 83 degrees Fahrenheit. It emitted zero pounds of CO2. By comparison, a standard internal combustion engine vehicle would have emitted about 664 lbs. of CO2 over the same distance. Impressive stuff. 

Toyota Mirai and hypermiling: hack your driving to increase your range 

Toyota Mirai’s result is due to the practice of hypermiling. It’s about optimizing the vehicle’s performance under specific weather and driving conditions. 

To ensure the most extended range in a Mirai, Toyota advises drivers to avoid quick acceleration or heavy braking and driving at higher speeds.

Toyota hybrids also have the Predictive Efficient Drive. This means cars essentially read the road and learn driver patterns to optimize hybrid battery charging and discharging operations based on driving conditions. The system accumulates data as the vehicle is driven, It also “remembers” road features such as hills and stoplights, and adjusts the hybrid powertrain operation to maximize efficiency.

Range anxiety is becoming a thing of the past 

HFC-powered cars aren’t the only ones going longer. Last month Lucid Air achieved 837 kilometers (520 miles) on a single charge. This makes it the first electric car ever to breach 500 miles. 

Hyundai recently unveiled the “Trailer Drone” concept. It’s a hydrogen-powered autonomous container transportation system that can operate fully autonomously at a duration of 1,000km on a single charge. Range anxiety is a genuine concern that deters drivers from moving to EVs. We’re seeing some really great innovations in battery and energy that produce longer-range capabilities help ease the transition.

Guinness World Records are bizarre

As yes, in case you are wondering, Guinness World Records are still very much a thing. They didn’t die out in the 1980s. In fact, there are some bat shit crazy records in mobility.

For example: 

Longest wheelie on a quad bike: In 2018, Captain Abdulla Al Hattaw performed a non-stop wheelie of 60 km in Dubai, UAE.

Largest car dance record: Yes, synchronized car dancing is a thing — I didn’t know either. In 2018 180 Nissan Patrol drove in synchronized formation to resemble the giant falcons of the desert when seen from a bird’s eye view in UAE.

Most people crammed into a ‘new’ VW Beetle: 25 people somehow crammed themselves into a standard VW in Austria in 2000.

Fastest flight by jet engine suit: In 2019, real-life Iron Man, Richard Browning achieved the fastest speed in a body-controlled jet engine powered suit (wind-guided) at 136.891 kmph (85.06 mph). He more than doubled the previous record of 51.53 kmph (32.02 mph), which he set two years previously.

Do EVs excite your electrons? Do ebikes get your wheels spinning? Do self-driving cars get you all charged up? 

Then you need the weekly SHIFT newsletter in your life. Click here to sign up.