:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/J6ZTBMDHSBDZ3K7QHTV3MCPLKA.jpg "Is the future really? : Another major European city joins the trend of hydrogen taxis 1")
At first there were 35 cars in The Hague, The Netherlands. Then 100 units were added in Copenhagen, capital of Denmark. And soon the deals were closed for Paris, Madrid, Berlin and London. Now comes the turn of another of Germany’s most important cities, Hamburgwhere the company Best taxi, received 25 cars which will begin to circulate in the streets emitting only water vapor as the only residue.
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Are the Toyota Mirai fuel cell which are spreading rapidly in the main cities of Europe, providing the taxi service that uses hydrogen to power its electric motor as the only fuel, with higher efficiency than electricity, and above all, with a much more efficient recharging time.
It is undoubtedly the epitome of alternative technology to battery cars, which uses the same type of electric motor, but does not need to connect to the network to recharge its battery. the system of hydrogen fuel cellwhich many still struggle with because it is more expensive than electricity, continues to be one of Toyota’s strongest commitments to its concept of sustainable mobility.
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The Mirai was born in Japan in 2014, and quickly spread to the United States and Europe in the following years. We needed a hydrogen charging infrastructure capable of inject compressed gas at 700 atmospheresbecause being very sparse, it is the only way to pack the amount of cubic meters needed to supply the range of 650 kilometers of which he is capable. It was the only major delay for which it took almost five years to start integrating chauffeur-driven rental car fleets at the level it has practiced since 2019.
Currently, the amount of “hydrogen” it is enough for several taxi companies to bring them, and although the car is more expensive than a similar car with electric technology, the difference is not so great, because the access version has a price of around 65,000 euros. The great advantage of the Mirai lies in a greater autonomy than that of battery-powered cars, and the charging time, much less with only 5 minutes connected to the hydrogen peak to complete its three tanks, against the nearly 30 who are calling for an electric car.
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Technologically, Under the hood of a Mirai, a fuel cell converts hydrogen into electrical energy through a chemical process called reverse electrolysis. During this transformation, the water vapor is eliminated and the hydrogen is converted into electricity to power the 130 kW/182 HP electric motor. The driving sensation is exactly the same as that of an electric car, because the propulsion is the same.
Just as electric cars are called EV (electric vehicle) or BEV (battery electric vehicle)rechargeable hybrids are PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid), and conventional hybrids are called HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), these hydrogen vehicles are called FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle).
Although Toyota is the brand that has invested the most in this technology, other brands like BMW, Hyundai and Honda they do too. The Germans applied it to the iX5 Hydrogen SUV, the Koreans to the Nexo compact SUV, and the Japanese to the Clarity Fuel Cell sedan.
This Monday, BMW announced in Munich the start of the second development phase of its project after four years with the iX5 Hydrogensince a fleet of close 100 units will be used internationally for demonstration and testing purposes for various target groups.
Olivier ZipseChairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, said at the launch of this stage that “hydrogen is the missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to emission-free mobility. Technology alone (referring to electricity) will not be enough to enable climate-neutral mobility In the whole world”.
Used in taxis, propulsion systems Fuel cells are optimal for vehicles that require constant driving with very short stops to refuel. For this reason, other companies like Renault Master H2 Tech, Peugeot with its e-Expert Hydrogen version and Citroën with the e-Jumpy Hydrogen they begin to market them in their mid-size vans for urban and suburban transport, while hyundai continues to develop its long-haul trucks with its fleet Xscient fuel cell which have been circulating for more than a year in Switzerland.
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