Imperial College takes on Toyota Mirai to help with hydrogen research

Imperial College London has taken delivery of a new Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car, to support its work looking into the potential of hydrogen as a clean and sustainable energy.

The Mirai has been acquired with support from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2 ME) and the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCHJU).

The university will use the Mirai between its London campuses, and it will act as a research resource in its work with the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell SUPERGEN Hub.

This organisation brings together academics and industry experts to explore how hydrogen and fuel cells can overcome challenges to deliver cost-competitive, low-carbon technologies to help create a more secure UK energy landscape.

Professor Nigel Brandon, Dean of Imperial College London’s Faculty of Engineering, said: “With our leading role in the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell SUPERGEN Hub, we are excited to experience the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car in real world driving conditions. We will road test the car on trips between our campuses and demonstrate the technology to staff, students and visitors.

“We’re committed to advancing both sustainable road transport and hydrogen technologies and are delighted to host a car that helps mitigate climate change, improves local air quality and helps meet international energy and environmental policy goals.”

The Toyota Mirai is powered by electricity generated on-board by a fuel cell stack through the process of combining hydrogen with oxygen. On a full tank of fuel it can cover around 300 miles, with smooth, near-silent running and producing no emissions other than water. The technology has proved its reliability and usefulness with hundreds of thousands of miles covered in the UK by cars in daily use with private hire companies, public bodies and private businesses.