James May, yes the ex-Top Gear and Grand Tour Presenter, just got himself a brand new Toyota Mirai. The Mirai is powered by Hydrogen, of course, and the perfect replacement for his last Mirai. Will there be another Mirai vs. Tesla Model S race?
James is one of those fortunate people that has the means to own some really special and interesting vehicles. He always has some kind of exotic car, like a Ferrari or a Porsche in his garage. The man certainly has the ability to pit truly unique and unconventional cars against each other.
James compares the BEV to the FCEV
About a year ago, he made a film where he compared a BEV; his Tesla Model S 100D against his old Toyota Mirai. In that film, he spoke extensively about the pros and cons of a conventional EV and a car powered by Hydrogen.
According to James, either one of these electric vehicles might be the future. In retrospect, he admits he remains clueless as to which would catch on.
He also drew comparisons of how each drivetrain delivers its power and he went on to have an argument with himself where he spoke about each powertrain's shortcomings.
How they differ
For instance, in order to charge up the BEV (Battery Electric Vehicle), it takes a considerable amount of time and we don’t really know yet if the power it is using from the grid came from a renewable source, which completely defeats the purpose of an EV in the first place.
The FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) meanwhile is far more conventional in that you can just pull up to a Hydrogen filling station, top it up and be on your way. However, the biggest problem is actually finding an outlet that dishes out Hydrogen. You see, the real problem is the current lack of Hydrogen infrastructure.
The Hydrogen that FCEVs use is stored at incredibly high pressures and it takes a lot of energy to produce it, let alone even transport it. And herein lies the problem. There just aren’t enough filling stations that dispense Hydrogen, apart from a few in states like California in the United States, some parts of Europe, and Japan.
James' New 2021 Toyota Mirai
Coming back to James’ new ride, he had recently declared on the DriveTribe YouTube channel that he would be replacing his old Toyota Mirai, which he got back in November 2019. with something more interesting. Surprisingly, he got yet another one, the 2021 Toyota Mirai. And there it was, sitting in his bunker ready to be unveiled. Strangely, until that point, James had never even sat in the New Mirai, let alone seen one.
Once he took the wraps off the car, which had taken him over five minutes, typical James - Captain Slow, he was very excited indeed with his purchase. It looks rather sinister in an understated shade of black according to James. He could have got a blue one, but his Model S is already blue.
Unveil done, James took his new Mirai for a quick spin with his Camera person Lucy, right into rush hour traffic in London. The weather was also appalling. The team wanted to get some new shots of the car. In the end, they abandoned the shoot and do what most English people do, which is to go to the pub.
The 2021 Mirai
The new 2021 Mirai came out earlier this year and Toyota is pitching it as a Luxury sedan powered by Hydrogen. It has 180hp and a range of around 400 miles between fuel stops or should I say Hydrogen stops. The Mirai comes in two trims with the base model starting at $50,000 going up to $70,000.
What's Next?
We can’t wait to see how the new Mirai stacks up against the Model S. Expect a full-blown review of the New Mirai by James May in the coming weeks.
Watch this space.