On Thursday, Toyota announced plans to significantly increase production of its Mirai fuel cell car after a successful launch in Japan this past December.
The Japanese automaker said the new plan calls for production to increase from 700 units this year to approximately 2,000 in 2016 and around 3,000 in 2017.
“Considering the approximately 1,500 orders received in the first month of sales in Japan, and the upcoming launches in Europe and the United States later this year, it was decided that the supply structure should be adjusted to reflect the level of demand for the vehicle,” Toyota said in a statement.
Toyota’s original sales projections for Japan were only 400 cars during its first year in the market. Many analysts believe that one of the biggest problems that fuel cell cars face is the limited availability of hydrogen fueling stations, but Toyota said it is considering this issue.
“Following the production increases, sales plans for Japan, the US and Europe will be formulated, taking into consideration the level of hydrogen infrastructure development, energy policies, car purchasing subsidies, consumer demand, environmental regulations and other factors in each region.”
The Mirai’s powertrain system combines hydrogen and oxygen from the air to generate electricity that can power the car’s electric motor for approximately 300 miles (483 km) on a single fill-up.
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