‘I drove a hydrogen-powered car – it was incredibly smooth but had one huge flaw’

The world of motoring is full of increasingly divisive subjects. Should the Government impose such harsh legislation surrounding ? Are safe to use? And, perhaps most interestingly, is the future of transportation?

President Elect states that ‘they blow up’, former presenter states they make more sense than EVs, and a whole lot of drivers are seemingly completely unaware of them.

So, the hydrogen-powered car is clearly either the future of personal transportation or the Hindenburg on asphalt, depending on your source. To try and get a clearer answer, I visited the Derbyshire-based car museum , who were given a Mirai from to add to their Drive that the public can test.

Currently, there are two models sold in the UK which run on hydrogen – the Hyundai NEXO SUV and the Toyota Mirai executive saloon. That said, Toyota has also toyed with the idea of putting the hydrogen powertrain inside a Hilux pickup truck, while other brands like BMW, Honda, and Renault have spent time looking into developing models that run on the fuel source.

The model owned by The Great British Car Journey is a previous-generation Mirai, however the thoughts that I have relate to any four-wheeled vehicle that runs on the unconventional fuel.

Motorists who have spent any time behind the wheel of an electric car will immediately feel at home inside the hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai. After hitting the bid blue power button and shifting the miniscule gearstick into ‘D’, the driving experience is generally very smooth and straightforward.

Since hydrogen vehicles are effectively an extension of an EV, featuring an electric motor, the Mirai packs quite a powerful punch when compared to a petrol alternative. With 155bhp to spare, the Mirai accelerates from 0-62mph in 9.3 seconds and reaches a top speed of 111mph.

Driving along at slower speeds, the main difference between the Mirai to a standard EV are the muffled whirrs and clicks of the powertrain. Sure, the car bore in my prefers the grumble of a V8 or the woosh of a turbocharger unspooling, but it is quite a futuristic sound.

Compared to more conventional electric cars, hydrogen-powered models can typically travel much further distances on a tank and are much quicker for owners to refuel.

In the case of most hydrogen-powered family cars, filling up can often be completed in as little as three minutes. However, the pump will then need to be re-pressured before the next motorist can use it.

Of course, much like electric models, hydrogen vehicles are also very clean to run, with the only thing coming out of the exhaust pipe being water. The hydrogren itself can also be sustainable to produce thanks to electrolysis.

However, there are a number of disadvantages that hydrogen vehicle owners will need to face until the technology surrounding the fuel improves. First, hydrogren is still fairly expensive to produce, meaning running costs are high.

In addition to the hefty £63,914 retail price for a new Toyota Mirai, owners will need to shell out around £70 every time they go to the filling stations.

Speaking of filling stations, the biggest pitfall that the hydrogen car will need to overcome is the distance owners currently need to travel to run one. As of 2023, there were 8,353 petrol stations across the country. In the same year, the number of hydrogen filling stations in the country was (erm…) five.

Before getting behind the wheel of the Toyota Mirai, I had imagined hydrogen would be used in future commercial vehicles such as trucks, coaches, and vans, plus a handful of private cars typically use for long-distance driving, effectively replacing diesel.

Whilst I still think there is a lot of potential for hydrogen for the likes of HGVs, particularly owned by large companies who could theoretically run a filling pump, sadly I do not think it would be commercially viable for passenger cars.

Sure, unless drivers wish to do Fast and Furious-style stunts in one, safety is far from a problem, but a lack of demand for filling stations now means there is little interest in improving the infrastructure for tomorrow.

Nonetheless, drivers who do want to see whether a hydrogen-powered car would suit them can at least test one at through the Great British Car Journey’s Drive Dad’s Car scheme for £50.