Weak hydrogen infrastructure delays Toyota Mirai sales

With three different fuel cell vehicles now (or soon) available from major automakers, the problem is proving to be the hydrogen refueling stations. Which explains why Toyota is limiting the number of Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle deliveries in California: the state has been slower than expected opening hydrogen refueling stations, Wards Auto says, citing comments from Toyota Motor North America CEO Jim Lentz. Toyota started selling the Mirai stateside in late October 2015, and had hoped to expand sales to the Northeast later this year. It also sells the hydrogen sedan in Japan and Europe.

The issue is that the California Energy Commission (CEC) slated 50 stations to be operational by the end of last year, but there are only about a dozen open now where drivers of the Mirai and other fuel-cell vehicles can use throughout the Golden State. So far, eight Toyota dealerships in California, including four each in Northern and Southern California, sell the Mirai, which has a full-tank range of about 300 miles.

The Mirai has an MSRP of $57,500, but incentives from the federal government and the state of California can reduce that number by up to $13,000. At the time Toyota announced plans for US sales of the Mirai in late 2014, Toyota said it expects to sell more than 3,000 of the fuel-cell vehicles by the end of 2017. Despite the hydrogen refueling station deployment crawl and Mirai deliveries slowed down, there's still plenty of time for Toyota to hit its target. Featured Gallery2016 Toyota Mirai
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