The first 'Spanish' hydrogen Mirai Toyota arrives to accompany the COP25, but it is still not commercialized

[Jultxxxyes]

 

Toyota, like other Asian brands, is committed to hydrogen as an alternative to electric battery cars. A technology that has already begun to settle in Japan but not so much in Europe. Thus, the Japanese firm has just registered the first unit of its Toyota Mirai fuel cell, a model that is marketed in Japan and in some European countries such as Germany, but has not yet arrived in Spain.

However, this first unit registered has not been conceived for the particular market. The fact that we have the first Toyota Mirai with Spanish registration (with the DGT Zero label) goes hand in hand with the Climate Summit (COP25), which is now being held in Madrid at the Ifema fair.

In short, it is the grain of sand provided by Toyota Spain in this meeting of 197 countries transferred in extremis to Spain and only one month after the Paris Agreement enters into force. In the same vein, Audi has moved, giving an e-tron to the acting president, Pedro Sánchez, to go to the COP25.

 

With this movement, Toyota wants to demonstrate that there is life beyond battery electric, despite the fact that the brand, a faithful defender of eco vehicles that do not require recharging in a plug, has passed through the hoop and will be released in electric cars cigars through its premium firm Lexus.

Madrid will have its first hydrogenera in 2020

 

In Spain, only one hydrogen model is sold, the Hyundai Nexo, which starts at 72,250 euros today. The fact that in our country we are barely effective with this electric alternative, which only emits water vapor, is a consequence of the distrust that still weighs on fuel cell vehicles in terms of safety, as well as its high price, fruit of the high cost of its extraction process. Although methods are already being developed that reduce it.

To be fair, it is a widespread trend in Europe, not only in Spain, except for Germany. In this way, if we are still in diapers in terms of charging infrastructure for electricity, more so is hydrogen: only three hydrogeneras are operational in our country, with another four projected. And Toyota wants to put a shoulder to put a solution to this.

 

Together with this first Mirai registered, Toyota has launched a project, in collaboration with Enagás (through its subsidiary Enagás Emprende) and Urbaser, to install the first hydrogen charging station in Madrid. It, which is one of the four planned according to the map of the National Hydrogen Center in Spain, will join the future of Seville and Aragon.

In addition, this hydrogenera will be accompanied by a fleet of twelve Toyota Mirai, which will be put into circulation in 2020 in the region as part of the initiative. The brand does not reveal the fate of these units: it is unknown if they will be part of the firm's fleets or if they will be transferred to the administration,

It should be remembered that hydrogen vehicles have some advantages in terms of usability over battery electric: they do not require a plug to charge and their recharge times (hydrogen tank) are similar to those of combustion models (in around three and five minutes).