Imagine covering the distance between the earth and the moon. There and back, six and a half times. In a luxury car, with zero emissions and no technical issues whatsoever. That is what has happened in Germany with the fleet of Toyota Mirai vehicles operated by CleverShuttle, the ride pooling service that offers shared use of a vehicle among multiple passengers. In two and a half years, the vehicles used by the German company – active in several cities since 2017 – have covered five million kilometres, making it the most extensively used Toyota Mirai fleet in the world.

Reliability and zero emissions

Jan Hofmann, COO & Co-founder of CleverShuttle, explained that "hydrogen-powered electric fuel cell vehicles have become an important pillar for us thanks to their reliability. They have allowed us to offer comfortable journeys to a considerable number of passengers, emitting nothing but water vapour." The collaboration between the Japanese manufacturer and the leading ride pooling service provider began three years ago, initially involving twenty Toyota Mirai vehicles in the city of Hamburg alone; in light of the positive response from customers, it subsequently grew to a fleet of forty-five vehicles across various locations in Germany.

Beyond the environmental benefits in terms of air quality, and despite the intensive use, during this period no repairs or replacement of spare parts have been necessary, apart from regular maintenance. For Ferry M.M. Franz, director of Toyota Motor Europe in Berlin, "the driving experience gained over five million kilometres demonstrates how hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles are already perfectly suited to everyday use. No technical faults of any kind, and the unrestricted performance of the fuel cell vehicles – with a mileage that now reaches up to 180,000 kilometres per vehicle – attest to the maturity and durability of Toyota's technology."

How ride pooling works

Ride pooling is one of the forms of shared mobility, but it differs from car sharing (the rental of a single car by multiple people, especially in urban contexts), from ride sharing (the sharing of car journeys by a private individual, generally for profit), and also from car pooling, which generally refers to the shared use of private vehicles by two or more people who need to travel the same route.

CleverShuttle is Germany's leading ride pooling provider: this eco-friendly and affordable service combines a chauffeured transport service with car pooling. Bookings are made via an app, customers are picked up at their chosen location and taken to their stated destination; the door-to-door service guarantees low prices, thanks to the grouping of passengers with similar routes, reduced by up to 40 per cent compared to the costs of traditional taxi transport.

A luxury fuel cell saloon

Unveiled in 2014 and available in Europe from the following year, the Toyota Mirai is a zero-emission luxury saloon. Its propulsion requires only hydrogen which, by generating electrical energy in the fuel cells, powers the 113 kW/154 hp electric motor without producing any pollutants, only water vapour.

On a full tank of fuel, it covers up to 500 kilometres and refuelling takes just under three minutes. During 2020, production of the second generation of the Mirai will begin in Japan, featuring an even greater range and a thoroughly redesigned exterior.