Toyota has teamed up with Europcar UK to make history with the Mirai becoming the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle to join its fleet.

The car-rental giant announced it will purchase a number of Mirai saloons after successfully securing grant funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). The investment in Toyota’s Mirai will help it build the country’s largest privately owned fleet of hydrogen-fuelled cars.

Gary Smith, Managing Director, Europcar UK Group, said: “This is a major step forward for Europcar UK, putting us ahead of the competition when it comes to the size of our hydrogen fleet and moves us ever closer towards a zero emissions fleet that delivers the same level of convenience and performance that our customers expect, while improving air quality on UK roads.”

Jon Hunt, Toyota and Lexus Fleet Services Manager, said: “Europcar UK’s success in winning the OLEV grant highlights its leadership and focus on embracing the latest fuel technologies to drive down emissions and promote greener transport. The Toyota Mirai is an ideal choice to meet their priorities for both environmental performance and customer service, a stylish practical, capacious and comfortable saloon that produces no harmful emissions when driven.”

The Mirai uses Toyota’s compact and lightweight fuel cell system to generate electricity on board from hydrogen stored in high pressure tanks. Hydrogen reacts with oxygen in the fuel cell in a process that is silent and produces no harmful emissions – the only by-product is water.