2025 Toyota Mirai

In an alternate universe, maybe we're all driving cars like the 2025 Toyota Mirai with a hydrogen-powered fuel cell whirring away to make electricity. The only tailpipe emissions are water vapor. It sounds futuristic. But in our current universe, the Mirai doesn't add up to being much more than a well-made midsize sedan with a weird alternative powertrain that's difficult to fill.

You can think of the Mirai as an alternative to a battery-powered electric vehicle. It runs on electricity, just like an EV, but instead of a big battery, the Mirai has a fuel cell that converts hydrogen into electricity. The hydrogen is stored inside the car in a large specialized tank. One big advantage to a fuel cell vehicle is range: The Mirai can drive an EPA-estimated 402 miles on a full tank, which is more than the typical battery EV. It also takes less time to refill the hydrogen tank than charging a battery EV. The trouble is actually finding a place to refill. There are only a few dozen hydrogen stations open in all of California and virtually none in the rest of the country. But, hey, if you can actually find some, Toyota will foot the bill for $15,000 or six years. It'll also pay for up to 21 days of a rental car should you decide to venture beyond the travel radius of a hydrogen station.

Believe it or not, there actually are other hydrogen-powered cars. One is the Honda CR-V e:FCEV, which is basically a plug-in hybrid CR-V with a hydrogen fuel cell instead of a gas engine. Unlike the Mirai, its battery can be plugged in to limit your reliance on the hydrogen refueling network (or lack thereof). There's also the Hyundai Nexo, a compact SUV exclusively powered by a hydrogen fuel cell. It's still kicking around as a 2023 model year, though, so its availability could be even scarcer than the Mirai and CR-V e:FCEV. All are only available in California.