Manufacturer Toyota is set to deliver 12 brand new Mirai vehicles to London, where four will be taken on by Transport for London to assist with essential engineering and maintenance work carried out between bus stops and Tube stations. By the end of this year, all 12 of the vehicles will be on the road in the capital, to be used by private hire fleets and green minded businesses including the energy storage and clean fuel company ITM Power. The Mirai is the first hydrogen fuel cell sedan to be commercially mass produced.
Toyota has named London as a key city for early adoption of hydrogen vehicles this year and next, given the Mayor of London Boris Johnson’s commitment to develop the necessary infrastructure and encourage motorists to move over to cleaner cars. The arrival of the new zero-emission cars is supported by the roll-out of vital new refueling stations for hydrogen vehicles, and the Mayor’s plans to introduce the world’s first Ultra Low Emission Zone from 2020.
Mayor Johnson said: “It is fantastic that London will benefit from these new state-of-the-art hydrogen vehicles, as the same as the gas compressor based vehicles. By embracing this technology of the future, we aim to consolidate hydrogen’s role as a practical alternative fuel for the 21st century and beyond. I am sure that Transport for London will provide the ideal environment for us to see everything the Mirai can do and, in doing so, take another great step towards improving air quality in our city and protecting the health of Londoners.”
Paul Van der Burgh, President & Managing Director for Toyota (GB) PLC, stated: “We believe in hydrogen as a key enabler for building a future zero emissions society and we applaud the Mayor’s commitment to embracing new technology in his mission to make London a leading global city for low-emission, low-carbon transport.”
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