Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles: a smooth drive with free fuel
by Robert Yang | Jan. 7, 2020
Another player has joined the green transportation field. While brands like Tesla, Nissan and BMW are focusing their efforts on improving their electric vehicles (EV), Toyota has spent its time and money developing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (HFCV). With transportation being a major contributor to climate change, we welcome another eco-friendly option onto our streets.
First, an HFCV is considered an electric vehicle since it uses electricity. However, the sources that produce the electricity for the vehicles are different. An HFCV combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity to power its motor, whereas a traditional EV uses electricity stored from previous charges. The byproduct of using hydrogen gas as a main source of power is water, which means HFCVs create less pollution out of its tailpipe compared to other types of vehicles on the market. Also, the hydrogen used is normally stored in lightweight tanks. These small tanks can store large amounts of hydrogen, which gives it range advantage over a majority of EVs. In fact, HFCVs can travel up to 300 miles off a single charge, which rivals the Tesla Model S.
HFCVs carry all the benefits of a traditional EV: free parking at various locations, eligible use of the HOV lane, eco-friendly fueling options, etc. But how practical is it to own one, especially in Hawaii?
I discussed this topic with Ian Kitajima, director at Oceanit, a company that helps develop technology by migrating fundamental science to real-world application. As a green transportation enthusiast, Kitajima headed over to Servco Toyota in Mapunapuna to test drive their hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle — the 2016 Mirai.
“The ride was very enjoyable! It was smooth, quiet, very fast, had great torque, and a low center of gravity,” Kitajima said. “The vehicle has very high-end features on the inside and was fully loaded.” It seems that the Mirai has little drawback in terms of driving experience and features, but what about charging?
Unlike California and several other states across the nation, there is only one public hydrogen fueling station on Oahu — at Servco Toyota in Mapunapuna. Other islands do not have any public hydrogen fueling stations at this time.
HFCVs typically take 5–7 minutes to fully charge. Mirai drivers should contact Servco Toyota ahead of time via phone call if they need to fuel up. There is a limited amount of hydrogen produced and stored onsite each day so contacting Servco Toyota beforehand will ensure there is enough supply available for your vehicle upon arrival.
Current promotions at Servco Toyota have the Mirai available for lease only. However, part of that deal includes free hydrogen for your vehicle throughout the duration of the lease.
“The hydrogen has to be of a higher quality and to Toyota’s standards or it could void your warranty if you were to use hydrogen produced elsewhere,” Kitajima said. “Part of that could be that aftermarket hydrogen or even making it on your own and using that could possibly damage the internal components of the vehicle.”
After test-driving the 2016 Mirai, Kitajima decided on leasing the 2020 version when it becomes available. “For me, the car drives really well and living on the west side and working in town, it’s convenient to charge because the only station on island is right in between my daily commute, but maybe for a car owner who lives in Hawaii Kai, that would not be the case.”
The HFCV industry is still in its infancy so the lack of fueling infrastructure is expected. But the benefits and driving experience is excellent. If your regular commute passes the Mapunapuna area and you want an environmentally-friendlier vehicle, then the Mirai may be ideal for you. Set up your test drive today!
Robert Yang is a digital communications and social media specialist at Hawaiian Electric Company.
