All Toyota Mirais fuel cell models will be sold and delivered through the authorized Mirai dealer of the customer’s choice.
California is and likely will remain the largest market for zero emission vehicles in the United States because of the state’s increasingly stringent ZEV mandate. California accounted for 40% of ZEVs in the United States, as of last January.
The next set of ZEV requirements will take effect in 2017 through 2025. As a result, zero emission vehicle sales of close to 60,000 units in 2014 are expected to grow to 1.4 million units by 2025.
“The stringency of California’s mandate will steadily go up in terms of the required proportions of ZEVs in fleets, changing the mix of cars on sale in the state,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Sudeep Kaippalli. “Meanwhile, support and incentives from the government will follow at a slower but significant pace.”
It is thought that by reducing purchase costs and expanding non-monetary incentives will widen the potential customer base for zero emission vehicles. Purchase incentives for ZEVs have been extended to 2015 as well: fuel cell EVs (FCEVs) receive $5,000; battery EVs (BEVs) $2,500; and PHEVs get $1,500 as purchase rebates. A statewide government parking policy for ZEVs already in place is providing another incentive for ZEV leases. Access to high-occupancy vehicle lanes is another prompt for sales.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
