In an Australian first, Toyota Australia is partnering with a Melbourne council for a real-world trial of hydrogen-electric vehicles.
Three Toyota Mirai fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), the first of their kind to be driven by members of the public in Australia, will be provided to the Hobson’s Bay City Council in Melbourne’s inner west for a 12-week trial.
The Mirais will be driven by council staff just like any other vehicle.
The trial will help the council reduce its vehicle fleet emissions and reach its environmental target of zero carbon dioxide by 2020.
The FCEV trial will go a long way to normalising the new technology, Toyota Australia advanced technology vehicles and site development manager Matt MacLeod says.
“We know that it’s only a matter of time before CO2 regulations arrive in Australia, and that’s why there is such a huge focus on zero emission vehicles like the Mirai,” he says.
“It’s a great opportunity to highlight the fact that these cars drive just like any other vehicle, except they don’t make any engine noise and emit nothing but water vapour.
“Like most hydrogen powered vehicles, the Mirai isn’t currently available for sale in Australia, mainly because there isn’t existing hydrogen refuelling infrastructure to support it.”
The trial FCEVs will be refuelled at a mobile hydrogen refueller based at Toyota’s former manufacturing site in nearby Altona – a 13-minute drive to the Hobson’s Bay City Council.
“Our staff will use the three Toyota Mirais to carry out their work for our community,” Hobsons Bay City Council mayor Angela Altair says.
“We will feed back the experience of our staff to Toyota, so they can learn more about the experience and performance of these cars.”
The trial with the council will be the first of several trials run by Toyota Australia over the next three years.
It plans to loan the Mirai FCEVs to participating companies or organisations for up to 12-weeks at a time.
Melbourne also has two hydrogen fuel cell (FC) forklifts being trialled at Toyota Australia’s former Altona manufacturing site, the first to be used by Toyota outside Japan.
Like the Mirai, the FC forklifts will be refuelled at Toyota’s mobile refueller at Altona.
The forklifts will be shipped to Sydney in December for the official opening of the new Toyota Parts Centre in Kemp’s Creek in Western Sydney.
