Toyota and ride-pooling startup CleverShuttle travel >2M km in Germany with the Toyota Fuel Cell Sedan Mirai
22 September 2019
German ride-pooling startup CleverShuttle has traveled more than 2.2 million kilometers emission-free within 24 months and has transported 567,000 passengers using 45 Toyota Fuel Cell Sedan Mirai.
While it took 15 months to reach the first million kilometers, CleverShuttle reached the second million in just under ten months.
CleverShuttle, with the involvement of Deutsche Bahn as a shareholder since 2015, is primarily used by people interested in technology and environment who want to be transferred in a CO2-neutral manner. Trips can be booked via an app, after which customers are picked up at a preferred location and driven to their desired destination. By bundling passengers with similar routes, the mobility service ensures low prices, up to 40% below conventional taxis.
The cooperation started in September 2017 with initially 20 Toyota Fuel Cell Mirai in Hamburg. Fueling of the vehicles is done at refueling stations of H2 MOBILITY, the joint venture established to expand the nationwide hydrogen infrastructure. CleverShuttle increased the Toyota Mirai fleet up to 45 units that are now being used in Hamburg, as well as in Munich and Stuttgart.
The Toyota Mirai was introduced in 2014 and has been available in Germany since 2015.
What a smart (cleaner) way to transport people in the cities while reducing traffic density, pollution and GHGs.
An FCEV low floor mini-bus with 6 to 10 passengers, with or without drivers, will eventually to even better.
Way to go Toyota!!
Posted by: HarveyD | 22 September 2019 at 07:46 AM
Important question: How many NiMH batteries were used in the 2.2 million kilometers?
Posted by: Account Deleted | 22 September 2019 at 09:01 AM
No batteries had to be replaced.
Posted by: HarveyD | 22 September 2019 at 01:10 PM
HarveyD,
Please supply a reference.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 22 September 2019 at 03:18 PM
It appears that the 2.2 million kilometers is for the entire fleet of 45 Toyota Mirai. Suspect that few if any vehicles have exceeded 100,000 miles/160,000 km.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 22 September 2019 at 04:06 PM
gryf.
An extended search on internet revealed that none of the many volunteers (anti-FCEVs) reported a single battery failure. That being said, you can assume that battery failures did not occur.
Our 3 Toyota HEVs, with similar batteries, never had a single battery failures after many years of extended trouble free services.
Posted by: HarveyD | 22 September 2019 at 04:56 PM
How can the required hydrogen be considered CO2 neutral. They either made the hydrogen from electrolysis or reforming fossil fuel. About 40% of Gemany's electric production comes from coal (and much of that is actually brown coal or lignite which is worse than hard coal) and another 10 percent comes from natural gas. Also about 10 percent comes from biomass much of which is wood pellets which I would be hard pressed to consider CO2 neutral.
Posted by: sd | 23 September 2019 at 07:49 AM
Our large national grid is 95 Hydro/5% Wind with a very low industrial rate of under 2.24 cents/kWh (including sale taxes) allowing production of clean 24/7 H2 at under $3/Kg. This clean 24/7 energy could be negotiated for under 2 cents/kWh for large electrolyser sites.
Posted by: HarveyD | 23 September 2019 at 10:41 AM
HarveyD, your comment refers to Quebec only and not the national (Canadian) grid and is true because there is a large amount of available
hydroelectric power with a relatively small population. The article was about Germany not Quebec. Less than 4% of Germany's electric power is hydroelectric. Also, Quebec probably has better things to do with their excess power such as sell it to New York or make Aluminum.
Posted by: sd | 23 September 2019 at 03:28 PM
H2 Energy creates hydrogen fuel using 100% renewable energy from hydropower. https://h2energy.ch/en/
Posted by: Alison_haywood | 24 September 2019 at 07:04 AM
Electrolysers can operate and produce clean H2 with excess clean energy from REs (Hydro-Wind-Solar etc) to reduce pollution and GHGs.
USA, with the exception of a few Eastern States, refused to purchase or pay for very low cost (2 to 3 cents/kWh) because of lower cost local NGPPs + US subsidies. Aluminum factories are already getting all the very low cost energy they need.
Near future development of more Hydro-Wind plants had to be delayed for lack of customers.
Posted by: HarveyD | 24 September 2019 at 08:49 AM