University of Extrication: Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

Nov. 1, 2016

Ron Moore examines the Toyota Mirai, the first mass-produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle sold in North America.

The 2016 Toyota Mirai is the first mass-produced FCV sold in North America. This 4,000-pound, four-passenger sedan is an all-electric drive vehicle that generates its own electricity by combining oxygen with onboard compressed hydrogen inside a unit called the fuel stack. It has an EPA driving range of 312 miles.

Subject: Fuel Cell Vehicles

Topic: Toyota Mirai

Objective: Identify procedures for handling a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle incident

Task: Given a Toyota Mirai for inspection, the rescue team shall explain essential fire and rescue operations for an incident involving this fuel cell vehicle.

In Part 2 of our series on fuel cell vehicles (FCV), we look at an actual production FCV automobile, the 2016 Toyota Mirai. From a responder’s perspective, we’ll review its major features and explain essential fire and rescue operations for an incident involving this FCV.

As of 2016, eight automobile manufacturers have introduced FCVs and have them on the roads in California. In addition, three transit companies in California operate fuel cell transit bus vehicles in their fleet. At the present time, there are more FCV cars and buses on California roads than any other region of the world. Because FCVs are now available in the mass market, responders across the country need to become familiar with essential emergency procedures necessary to handle an FCV incident.