Many car enthusiasts see great potential in hydrogen fuel cells. So let’s take a quick  look at the most popular production fuel-cell vehicle available in the USA, the Toyota Mirai.

Among car enthusiasts on the internet and elsewhere, there’s an energetic debate between the proponents of battery-electic vehicles (BEVs) and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Each has its pros and cons, but this basic fact is often misplaced in the argument: both BEVs and FCEVs are electric vehicles, and they are both propelled by electric motors. The difference is that while a BEV carries a storage battery to  provide energy, the FCEV uses a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell to produce the current. So there’s less to argue about, perhaps, than the combatants might let on.

Among the major automakers, Toyota is as far along as anyone in fuel-cell vehicle development, and it currently offers the second-generation Mirai sedan FCEV in select markets in North America, Europe, and Asia. (The Mirai accounts for 80 percent of the FCEVs now on the road in the USA.) The Toyota video below, using no voiceover, only images, provides a stylish but basic familiarization with the Mirai’s hardware, including the major component locations. There’s a whole lot more to know about fuel-cell vehicles, naturally, but if you’ve got three minutes to spare, here’s an unintimidating start. Video below.