Toyota begins customer ordering for 2016 Mirai fuel cell electric vehicles in California

Toyota announced today that starting this summer the company will begin taking orders for the 2015 Mirai. The new Mirai is a fuel cell electric vehicle consider to be zero-emission by the state of California. Initially, the customers Toyota will accept will all live near hydrogen fueling stations. Overall, Toyota’s goals for the Mirai are very modest. Toyota hopes to sell an average of about 100 Mirais per month between its introduction and 2017. Overall the goal is 3,000 vehicles.

In addition to accepting offers at its website, Toyota plans to stock dealers in both Northern California and Southern California with inventory. The first dealerships to carry the Mirai will be San Francisco Toyota, Roseville Toyota, Stevens Creek Toyota, Toyota of Sunnyvale, Longo Toyota, Toyota Santa Monica, Toyota of Orange and Tustin Toyota.

The inspiration for fuel cell electric vehicles was the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The state agency mandates that automakers sell a certain amount of zero emissions vehicles. CARB does not mandate the method by which these vehicles operates but does reward various technologies with rebates paid directly to buyers. Fuel cell vehicles like the Hyundai Tuscon Fuel Cell and the Toyota Mirai earn double the rebate for their buyers that battery electric cars to and four-times the rebates that plug-in hybrids do. The California rebate for the Mirai is $5,000.