Toyota, Morgan Spurlock say hydrogen can be bullsh*t

Toyota wants the world to know that it's not full of crap about hydrogen as the future of fuel. Months before the Mirai arrives at dealers on the West Coast, the automaker is trying to get the word out through documentary series called Fueled by Everything. In the first episode, director Morgan Spurlock (best known for Super Size Me) shows how to make the futuristic fuel cell sedan run on a load of dung. After some processing, anyway.

The whole point of the series is to show viewers the myriad sources available to generate hydrogen, and Toyota starts at an attention-grabbing extreme. A pickup truck takes a bed full of cow manure and demonstrates the steps needed to make it into hydrogen for the Mirai. Of course, the new model gets lots of screen time, too. For those in the audience curious to learn more, Toyota also digs a little deeper into the generation process on the series' website.
Show full PR text Fueled by Bullsh*t

Toyota Taps Morgan Spurlock to Direct First Video in "Fueled by Everything" Series

TORRANCE, Calif. (April 22, 2015) - Sometimes reality stinks. Toyota has tapped award-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock to show how calling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles "bullsh*t" isn't far from the truth.

"Fueled by Bullsh*t" is the first online video in a multi-part "Fueled by Everything" series aimed to educate a broad audience about the innovative ways hydrogen fuel can be made from renewable sources. Spurlock directed the 3-minute piece which features a dairy farmer and mechanical engineer as they follow cow manure from a mooing supply source to its ultimate use in powering the hydrogen fuel cell electric Toyota Mirai.

"This project gave us the opportunity to dive into a world that most people don't understand but has the potential to change our world," said Spurlock. "Witnessing manure, something most of us view as being pretty disposable, being transformed into hydrogen fuel to power a car was pretty remarkable. I think this short film is pretty compelling evidence of what could be possible in the years ahead."

Beyond high quality dung, hydrogen can be manufactured from other renewable energy sources like solar, wind and biogas from landfills. These production methods can result in a domestic and locally sourced fuel that powers the Mirai while emitting only water vapor from the tailpipe.

The multi-series video campaign is launching through the Toyota Mirai website (www.toyota.com/mirai) and additional digital properties with paid online media support. The Toyota Mirai site will also feature a deeper dive into the scientific process of creating hydrogen fuel, with explanations from scientists and experts in the field. This content will also appear across Toyota social and media partner sites, including Forbes.com, YouTube and Hulu.

"We're putting hydrogen in the spotlight for its exciting potential as a renewable fuel source," said Bob Carter, senior vice president, automotive operations, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "This is the beginning of the road for hydrogen, but we see the potential and we're making a long-term investment in the future."

The four-door, mid-sized Toyota Mirai delivers performance similar to traditional internal combustion engines - re-fueling in about five minutes and a range of up to 300 miles on a full tank. The Mirai will go on sale in California later this year.

Toyota's "Fueled by Everything" campaign was created with creative agency partner Droga5. To see the video and information about Toyota's commitment to fuel cell technology, visit www.toyota.com/mirai/fueledbyeverything.html. Related Gallery2016 Toyota Mirai: LA 2014
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