Toyota’s Mirai Shows up at NASCAR

on May 4, 2015 at 9:45 am

NASCAR races it’s first Hydrogen fueled car.

Motorsports sprint cup race in Richmond showcased a series of fast pace cars, but the star was the Toyota‘s Hydrogen powered Mirai. It’s a first for the fuel cell car, and a publicity stunt, obviously, for the Mirai’s launch in California later in the year. Ultimately it proves that hydrogen cars have the punch to keep up with stock cars during the race. However, does this mean we can convince the other racers to go green? There’s a serious appeal for NASCAR fans about the roaring V8 engine that most won’t want to let go of. NASCAR is one area that’ll be hard to convince to give up a full fuel engine altogether. It would not only be an interesting addition to Motorsports like NASCAR but give more options when looking into fantasy teams from somewhere like https://www.fanduel.com/fantasy-nascar.

Regardless, Toyota isn’t the only manufacturer who is focused on Hydrogen as a greener energy. General Motors, Honda, and Mercedes have also decided to take this route. Toyota’s first hydrogen fuel cell car, the Mirai, is a sedan modelled on the FCV concept and if you have one you can visit a Toyota Auto Body Shop for a quote on any collision repairs you may encounter. Should be launching in the U.S. and Europe next summer with a price tag around $69,000. However this hasn’t been completely determined.

Tesla uses high tech electrical energy, but Toyota believes it’s got the better idea with Hydrogen. The hydrogen can get pumped into the system like standard gasoline. It then mixes slowly with the oxygen in the car and creates an electrochemical reaction giving it a 430 mile run. Aside from the cost of gathering, storing and distributing it, there aren’t many downsides to hydrogen. It’s clean, and doesn’t leave any pollution or residue. The cost effectiveness of the electric car should be a concern for Toyota however.

Toyota races it’s first Hydrogen fueled car at NASCAR as a publicity stunt for it’s new Mirai.

Author

Angel Damion Robles

Angel started writing at a young age keeping a journal since he was 12 years old. By the time he was 15 he had a binder overflowing with ideas. His senior year of high school he received a scholarship for his writing in English and an award for writing and directing a full length movie for his film club. At 19 he went to film school in LA with a focus on screenwriting where he wrote a series of shorts. He is a futurist and keeps up to date about current tech, especially automation. He is currently studying Computer Science in Berkeley and interested in writing code and working with hardware. Some interesting facts: He knows too much about Google, loves cats, and has one white cat named Nasa.