Autoblog Editor-In-Chief Sebastian Blanco takes the 2016 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell for a drive in Newport Beach, Calif.

Brian Cooley takes a drive in Toyota's Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car and explains why the company is putting its faith in the technology.

Toyota wants 20 billion yen (146 million euros) to invest to triple production capacity for the Mirai, according to a press release. Accordingly, there is a huge demand for the fuel cell vehicle - both by public authorities as well as companies.

Goes on sale next year

Toyota has released a handful of videos which provide new information about the 2016 Mirai FCV.

While some of the clips are a little preachy, they give of a glimpse of the car's hydrogen fuel cell system which takesoxygen from the air and combines it with hydrogen to create electricity. This is then used to power the car's electric motor.

Toyota has been coy on technical specifications but the videos confirm the model will be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 9 seconds and 30-50 mph in 3.6 seconds. One clip also reveals the fuel cell generates 155 PS (114 kW) and says the model can be started in temperatures as low as -22° C (-7.6° F).

The videos go on to say the Mirai can travel up to 300 miles (483 km) on a single fill up. Interestingly, Toyota appears to have lowered the estimated refueling time from five minutes to approximately three minutes.

Besides talking about performance specifications, the videos highlight the high-tech interior which has a capacitive touch climate control system and two 4.2-inch displays. The eco-friendly model also has acoustic glass and a cargo capacity of 361 liters (12.7 cubic feet).

When Toyota introduced the 2016 Mirai last month in preparation for a launch late next year, it said that the hydrogen car will have a $57,500 MSRP and that there will be a federal tax credit available worth up to $8,000. The problem, as we noted at the time, is that that federal credit was set to expire at the end of 2014. The technical language of the current rule says that someone who buys a fuel cell vehicle, "may claim a credit for the certified amount for a fuel cell vehicle if it is placed in service by the taxpayer after Dec. 31, 2005, and is purchased on or before Dec. 31, 2014." With the 113th Congress now finished up for the year and legislators headed home for the holidays, we know one thing for certain: the federal tax credit for hydrogen vehicles was not updated and will end as we're all singing Auld Lang Syne next week.

All of this isn't to say that Mirai buyers won't be able to take $8,000 off the price of the car 12 months from now. For proof of that, we only need to look at other alternative fuel tax incentives and realize that this Congress simply isn't moving fast enough to deal with things that are expiring right now. One of the last things that the 113th Congress did in December was to take up the tax credits that expired at the end of 2013 and renew some of them.

Jay Friedland, Plug In America's senior policy advisor, told AutoblogGreen that PIA and other likeminded organizations worked with Congress to extended the electronic vehicle charging station (technically: EVSE) tax credit that was part of the Alternative Refueling Tax Credit in IRS Section 30(C) through the end of 2014. "Individuals can deduct 30 percent of the cost of purchasing and installing an EVSE up to $1,000; businesses, 30 percent up to $30,000," he said. "This tax credit is applied to any system placed into service by 12/31/14 and is retroactive to the beginning of the year. So go out and buy your favorite EV driver an EVSE for the holidays," he said.

An electric motorcycle credit was killed at the last minute as Congress was getting ready to leave, but
H.R. 5771 did extend the Alternative Fuels Excise Tax Credits for liquefied hydrogen and other alternative fuels. These sorts of tax credit battles happen all year long. In July, Blumenthal introduced the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Infrastructure Act of 2014, which never got out of the Finance Committee.

Back to the hydrogen vehicle situation. Robert Bienefeld, assistant vice president of Honda's Environment and Energy Policy, told AutoblogGreen that Honda wants the credit to be reinstated. Its hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is coming in early 2016, so it has more time than Toyota to get things sorted. "We are working with many partners on the legislative front to address this situation," he said. "We believe that legislators do not intend to pick winners and losers by providing tax credits to some technologies and not others. Many automakers believe that fuel cell vehicles are an essential part of the technology options we need to address ultra-low carbon transportation in the long run." Hyundai already sells the fuel-cell Tucson in California, but a spokesperson told AutoblogGreen that the company has no further comment on the tax credit situation at this time. There's no way we don't hear more about this in the year to come, though.

More than 5,600 fuel cell and related patents available for royalty free use

Patents include industry leading fuel cell technology used in new Toyota Mirai

Toyota is opening the door to the hydrogen future, making available thousands of hydrogen fuel cell patents royalty free. Announced today at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show, this Toyota initiative will spur development and introduction of innovative fuel cell technologies around the world.

Toyota will invite royalty-free use of approximately 5,680 fuel cell related patents held globally, including critical technologies developed for the new Toyota Mirai. The list includes approximately 1,970 patents related to fuel cell stacks, 290 associated with high-pressure hydrogen tanks, 3,350 related to fuel cell system software control and 70 patents related to hydrogen production and supply.

“At Toyota, we believe that when good ideas are shared, great things can happen,” said Bob Carter, Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations at Toyota Motor Sales, USA Inc. “The first generation hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, launched between 2015 and 2020, will be critical, requiring a concerted effort and unconventional collaboration between automakers, government regulators, academia and energy providers. By eliminating traditional corporate boundaries, we can speed the development of new technologies and move into the future of mobility more quickly, effectively and economically.”

Toyota has a long history of opening its intellectual properties through collaboration, and was instrumental in facilitating the widespread adoption of hybrid vehicles by licensing related patents. Today’s announcement represents the first time that Toyota has made its patents available free of charge and reflects the company’s aggressive support for developing a hydrogen-based society.

This Toyota initiative builds on previous commitments, including substantial financial support for the development of a hydrogen fueling infrastructure in California and the northeastern United States. In May 2014, Toyota announced a $7.3 million loan to FirstElement Fuels to support the operations and maintenance of 19 hydrogen fueling stations across California. In November 2014, Toyota announced a collaboration with Air Liquide to develop and supply a phased network of 12 state-of-the-art hydrogen stations targeted for New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The hydrogen fuel cell patents will be made available to automakers who will produce and sell fuel cell vehicles, as well as to fuel cell parts suppliers and energy companies who establish and operate fueling stations, through the initial market introduction period, anticipated to last until 2020. Companies working to develop and introduce fuel cell busses and industrial equipment, such as forklifts, are also covered. Requests from parts suppliers and companies looking to adapt fuel cell technology outside of the transportation sector will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

Today’s announcement covers only fuel cell-related patents wholly owned by Toyota. Patents related to fuel cell vehicles will be available for royalty-free licenses until the end of 2020. Patents for hydrogen production and supply will remain open for an unlimited duration. As part of licensing agreements, Toyota will request, but will not require, that other companies share their fuel cell-related patents with Toyota for similar royalty-free use.

Companies interested in Toyota’s fuel cell-related patents will negotiate individual contracts with Toyota. Additional details, including licensing terms and application process, are available upon request.

At the 2015 International CES, Toyota hopes to usher in the age of hydrogen fuel cell cars by giving other companies royalty-free access to 5,680 patents.