Owners in California allege that they were deceived regarding how easy it would be to top up the fuel-cell EV
- A new class-action launched by Toyota Mirai owners complains of scant hydrogen refuelling facilities
- The fuel-cell-vehicle owners and lessees argue the automaker falsely advertised how easy the cars would be to live with
- In the U.S., Toyota’s Mirai is only sold or leased in California; in Canada, it’s available in B.C. or Quebec
Anyone who has been paying attention to the automotive industry over the past couple of decades knows the mass adoption of hydrogen-powered vehicles has been perpetually just around the corner. Advocates will say it is the most abundant element in the known universe, and that the only waste product is water; detractors will say storage and delivery of the stuff as a fuel has yet to be worked out in any sort of acceptably large scale. Both are correct.
This, the suit claims, leads to impractical ownership experiences and an inability to use the US$15,000 fuel cards provided by Toyota as an incentive for selecting the Mirai. (That fuel card’s value is also being throttled, the suit alleges, by the fact the cost of hydrogen has almost tripled in the past two years, no longer making it worth “at least five years” worth of refuelling.)
An argument could be made that this is simply a case in which customers are frustrated they did not do their due diligence before signing on the dotted line. Anyone with an internet connection and even rudimentary Google skills can find an abundance of reports chronicling these precise issues. It’s not as if the challenges of hydrogen refuelling cropped up overnight.
If this writer bought a diesel-powered Super Duty pickup truck but failed to check if there are any diesel filling stations in his immediate area, would it be reasonable for Ford to be on the hook for my lack of foresight?
Meanwhile, the combined might of FuelCell Energy and Toyota Motor North America celebrated in May 2024 the grand opening of a facility in California using biogas to produce renewable electricity, renewable hydrogen, and usable water. The effort plans to produce 2.3 megawatts of electricity and up to 1,200 kg/day of hydrogen.
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