Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants to get rid of “cow emissions” but she better hold on to that cow’s poop—that is if she wants to be able to drive Toyota’s newest car, the Mirai. The Mirai, to be debuted in 2021, can run on the hydrogen produced from a single cow’s manure for a full year. Don’t laugh—the power of poop is undeniable—Toyota is already building what will be the first manure-powered fueling station in the state of California.
The Mirai, a concept vehicle, will be built to run on hydrogen fuel cells. The fact that one cow can produce enough energy to run the car for a year is a stunning testimony to the potential of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The original Mirai, which came onto the market in 2014, sold over 10,000 units. But the new model will have an increased cruising range of 30 percent. That means the Mirai will be able to clock 400 miles on just one full charge.
Speaking with the Japan Times, Chief Engineer of the Mirai project, Yoshikazu Tanaka talked about the company’s hopes and dreams for the car and the potential of its energy source. “We hope that with the new Mirai, we will be a leader in helping to realize a hydrogen energy society.”
“Mirai” means “future” in Japanese and we can only hope that Toyota has thought ahead about providing the wherewithal and infrastructure for its use. Electric cars have suffered from a lack of charging stations. We wouldn’t want legislation similar to the Green New Deal, with its promise of eliminating cow emissions, to kill the Mirai, before it is born.
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