Toyota reduces price of new hydrogen car with $15,000 of free fuel

Hydrogen car safety

• Several commenters with hands-on or driving experience report no unusual safety issues; one compares it to LPG/natural-gas cars, expecting over-engineered high‑pressure systems.
• Hydrogen is described as generally uneventful to work with, though its flame is hard to see.
• Some argue “physical safety” is moot because the product is commercially irrational, leading to buyer’s remorse and lawsuits.
• One link is shared to a hydrogen safety overview (no consensus discussion of its details in thread).

Refueling infrastructure and range

• California station map is cited: ~65 stations, but only ~33 online with fuel.
• Many call hydrogen cars “the worst of all worlds”: require new production/distribution plus the time and inconvenience of fueling.
• Real-world Mirai driver confirms trip planning strictly constrained by station locations.
• Range anxiety for gas vs EV is debated; broad agreement that EV “running empty” is harder to recover from than ICE.

Driving experience and powertrain

• Hydrogen fuel-cell cars are effectively EVs with a small battery; the fuel cell charges a ~1.2 kWh drive battery that powers the motors.
• Refueling time (about 5 minutes) is contrasted with much longer EV fast-charging, but others note most EV owners “charge while parked” and rarely spend active time refueling.

Environmental and technical concerns

• Water exhaust and black ice: some worry about winter road icing; others note ICE cars already emit substantial water vapor. One person has seen a Mirai drip liquid water.
• Multiple commenters argue most hydrogen today comes from fossil fuels (methane cracking), so “green” branding is misleading.
• Hydrogen’s storage, transport difficulty, corrosion, leakage, and low round‑trip efficiency are heavily criticized.
• Some propose synthetic methane as a more sensible synthetic fuel than hydrogen; others say both are currently uneconomic.

Hydrogen vs BEVs, hybrids, and materials

• Many see Toyota’s hydrogen push as resistance to full BEVs; others argue not all cars globally can be BEVs due to material limits, though that claim is challenged with counter-links.
• Debate over lithium/cobalt availability: one side fears long‑term shortages; others point to cobalt‑free chemistries and improving tech.
• Hybrids and PHEVs are viewed by some as a more practical middle ground; others say a simple BEV from a company good at hybrids would be cheaper and more reliable than hydrogen.

Infrastructure and policy ideas

• UK commenters discuss blending up to ~20% hydrogen into existing methane gas networks and possibly separating it later, but note issues like embrittlement, safety, and fossil-derived “town gas” history.
• Some argue hydrogen might make more sense in large vehicles, trucks, or aircraft, mainly for weight and depot-refueling reasons, though even that is questioned.