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Toyota unveils fuel-cell car assembly line

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I watched this on the news last night. What is missing in this article are the costs, which are very high, and the list of buyers that have pre-orders, and the other buyers on the waiting list. On the waiting lists are govt. offices.

So my question is this. Why should us tax payers allow for govt. officials to order and drive around in these very very expensive vehicles, when mini-cars would do just fine?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Because 98% of the tax payers in Japan are JAPANESE, and they don't mind their officials driving around in these very, very expensive cars.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

I for one think its cool. The only thing that I wonder is, I'm not a scientist but aren't these cars highly explosive? riding hydrogen bombs? im sure I watched too many movies.

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Watch out Tesla. Only reason Musk has immediately come out and said this is not a viable technology is he is scared. electric was wildly expensive once upon a time as fuel cells are now. you watch how quickly they become cheaper.

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All Fuel cell / Hybrid / Electric only technologies will succeed in the long term. This is a given.

Hanger-ons to gasoline / diesel as the viable future, will be following the path of B&W cathode ray TVs.

Costs will decline, infra-structure will progress, technology will develop.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I agree with Yeinats!!!

So my question is this. Why should us tax payers allow for govt. officials to order and drive around in these very very expensive vehicles, when mini-cars would do just fine? They should buy it from their pockets.

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@Yelnats: I understand why you would be cynical, but you are just assuming that the cars are very very very expensive, and you're probably also assuming that the cost of hydrogen vs. gasoline is also expensive. Hydrogen costs $1.00 to $1.80/kg and the Mirai holds 5kg, on which it can run for 300 miles.

All it takes is a google "Toyota Mirai", and voila! All sorts of info: MSRP $57,500 in the US. Also in the US, it looks like there will be some incentives from Toyota and the Government.

The list price is $57,500. Federal and state incentives of $13,000 could get the price down to less than $45,000. You get free hydrogen for three years (Paid for by Toyota). The fuel cell components are warranted for eight years or 100,000 miles.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/198231-test-drive-hydrogen-fuel-cell-toyota-mirai-cruises-300-miles-costs-45k-can-your-ev-do-that

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Tahoochi:

Dahatsu mini-cars can be bought for ¥1,200,000 and they fit four easily, easy to park, and the yellow plate drops the road tax. Mileage is fantastic too. So, get at least four cars for the price of one.

You really want your taxes paying for a luxury...for a civil servant to abuse the system? Not me.

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Yelnats: Point well taken. K-cars are cheap and probably will serve the government the same purpose of getting around town. However, I'm sure your average civil servant will still be running around in k-cars, and the people who run the offices will be riding these shiny new cars "for the sake of the environment".

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