Okay, so that may have been a full on Buzzfeed style, click-bait title, but it’s still technically true. The new Toyota ‘Mirai’ is a car that is completely powered by hydrogen fuel, which can be made from what happens when you take the Browns to the Super Bowl. Sorry. I can’t help myself.
How it all works is pretty neat and surprisingly simple. There is currently a wastewater plant located in Fukuoka, Japan that has the distinct pleasure of separating lemonade from fudge. God dammit, I did it again! Anyways, the team separates the waste and the solid stuff is then mixed with some special microorganisms that break it all down into biogas.
“Just think of all the dad jokes one could make with their kids! I’m already excited to make fart sounds every time I turn the key.”
After the poop gas is ready the carbon dioxide is sucked out, water vapor is injected in, then more carbon dioxide is shot back in, and what is left is gods own pure hydrogen. This stuff is super clean, efficient, and doesn’t kick out any of those nasty greenhouse gases that are so bad on the environment.
This seems like a win/win situation in my book as waste needs to go someplace, and if it can be turned into a clean burning gas everyone wins. New jobs are created and we get to call out future cars ‘poop mobiles’. Just think of all the dad jokes one could make with their kids! I’m already excited to make fart sounds every time I turn the key. It’s truly a wonder how I’m still single.
Funny enough, this technology isn’t anything new as it’s already widely used in places like India. Marc Melaina of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory speaking to Quartz stated that,
“In India, they have loads of biogas plants in villages and such that are just part of their energy infrastructure.”
It really does seem like a magical little thing. Toyota states that the Mirai can travel up too 300 miles before needing a charge. And much like Doc Brown’s DeLorean, it can be powered by nearly any waste product. Even cooler is that a full charge should only take 5-minutes.
While the Mirai is a lovely little car there are currently only 29 hydrogen fueling station in the united States, so chances are the car won’t catch on anytime soon even though it will be hitting the market this October. But if we push for this already proven technology that may change in the future. I really hope it does as I’m already writing down all the poop jokes I can make to make my future children laugh, and my future wife resent me.
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