Why Is James May Selling His Beloved Fuel-Cell Toyota Mirai?

James May, who also owns a Tesla Model S which he loves, has owned a Toyota Mirai fuel-cell vehicle since November of 2019 and even though he really likes the car, he doesn’t want to own it any more and has announced its imminent sale. He makes it perfectly clear that the car itself doesn’t have a problem; in fact, he calls he says it’s the nicest car he’s ever owned, but he has found it more of a hassle to run than he thought.

And if you did not guess it already, James’ reason for wanting to sell the Mirai has to do with the hydrogen fueling station infrastructure. In the United Kingdom where he lives, he explains there are currently only 11 hydrogen refueling stations for FCVs - the number has gone up by three since he purchased the car, but that’s still not enough for a hassle-free motoring experience.

This is the reason why he found it difficult to use the Mirai as his daily (and only) car, even though he does sound like he really wanted it to fulfill that role. He points out that had he lived in a place where hydrogen fueling stations are aplenty (like Germany or Japan), running the fuel-cell Mirai as a daily would have been a lot more feasible.

Besides, James’ view is that cars are like fashion accessories and it’s right to swap out something older for the hot new thing. Toyota has launched a much sportier Mirai - one that looks like a proper sports sedan - but since the UK hydrogen infrastructure is not advancing quickly enough, James will probably not get one of those.

More Toyota Mirai news

Toyota Says Mirai FCV Goes Beyond Zero Emissions, Actually Cleans The Air

DeMuro Doesn’t Find The 2021 Toyota Mirai Lacking In Either Quirks Or Features