[10] Under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cycle, the 2016 model year Mirai has a total range of 502 km (312 mi) on a full tank.

[11] In August 2021, the second-generation Mirai set a world record of traveling 1,360 km (845 mi) with a full tank of 5.65 kg (12.5 lb) of hydrogen.

The FCV uses Toyota's proprietary, small, light-weight fuel cell stack and two 70 MPa high-pressure hydrogen tanks placed beneath the specially designed body.

At low speeds such as city driving, the FCV runs just like any all-electric car by using the energy stored in its battery, which is charged through regenerative braking.

[24] In June 2014, Toyota showcased an FCV with an exterior design close to production, announced details about pricing in Japan, and set a domestic market launch before April 2015, with initial sales limited to regions where hydrogen refueling infrastructure is being developed.

[44] Toyota started testing two Mirai fuel cells in an electric Class 8 semi-trailer truck in the Port of Los Angeles in 2017 as part of Project Portal.

The TFCS is more energy-efficient than internal combustion engines[clarification needed] and emits no CO2 at the point of operation or substances of concern (SOCs) when driven.

[43] The Mirai has a button labeled H2O that opens a gate at the rear, dumping the water vapor that forms from the hydrogen-oxygen reaction in the fuel cell.

[11] The official Toyota consumption declaration states hydrogen is consumed at the rate of 0.8 kg/100 km (2.8 lb/100 miles) on the combined urban/extra urban cycle.

These channels—a world first, according to Toyota—were arranged in a fine three-dimensional lattice structure to enhance the dispersion of air (oxygen), thereby enabling uniform generation of electricity on cell surfaces.

This, in turn, provided a compact size and a high level of performance, including the stack's world-leading power output density of 3.1 kW/L (2.2 times higher than that of the previous Toyota FCHV-adv limited-lease model), or 2.0 kW/kg.

[43] The Mirai has two hydrogen tanks with a three-layer structure made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic consisting of nylon 6 from Ube Industries[51] and other materials.

Toyota's latest generation hybrid components were used extensively in the fuel cell powertrain, including the electric motor, power control and main battery.

[47][48][43] At Toyota's Higashi-Fuji Technical Center, the Mirai has been subjected to extensive crash testing to evaluate a design specifically intended to address frontal, side and rear impacts and to provide claimed excellent protection of vehicle occupants.

A high level of collision safety has also been achieved to help protect the fuel cell stack and high-pressure tanks against body deformation.

As of December 2014[update], domestic orders had already reached over 400 Mirais, surpassing Japan's first-year sales target, and as a result, there is a waiting list of more than a year.

[42] In January 2018, Toyota Canada announced that the Mirai for the Canadian market would first become available in Quebec, in line with the provincial government's zero-emission vehicle standard adopted the previous month.

[95] The market launch in Europe was in September 2015[14] and the UK became the first country to sell a Mirai outside Japan delivering the first car to ITM Power.

[16] As of December 2019[update], the Mirai is available for retail sales across most of Europe including in the UK, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and Norway.

[97] Former European Parliament President Pat Cox estimated that Toyota would initially lose between €50,000 and €100,000 (US$60,000 to US$133,000 at 2014 exchange rates) on each Mirai sold in 2015.

[98] The Toyota Mirai won the 2016 World Green Car of the Year Award, announced at the 2016 New York International Auto Show.

[100] Driven by Richard Bremner and Luc Lacey from Autocar magazine and Jon Hunt from Toyota they started the journey from Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands.

To reach the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure at the time they travelled via Aberdeen, Sunderland,[101] Rotherham and Beaconsfield covering 1,785 km (1,109 miles) at an average speed of 90 km/h (56 mph).

[102] The second generation Mirai was awarded in May 2021 by the Hispanic Motor Press for 'Car Technology of the Year', noting the commitments towards zero emissions and Toyota Safety Sense.

The commercial was released on 21 October — the same date in 2015 in Back to the Future Part II when Marty McFly (Fox), Jennifer Parker (Claudia Wells/Elisabeth Shue) and Brown traveled.

On 15 February 2017 Toyota recalled all of the roughly 2,800 zero-emission Mirai cars on the road due to problems with the output voltage generated by their fuel cell system.

Toyota dealers announced they will update the fuel cell system software at no cost to the customer, claiming the process will take about half an hour.