The promise of a hydrogen-fueled future has was a nightmare for tons of of automotive homeowners in California. Drivers who bought Toyota’s flagship gasoline cell automobile, the Mirai, at the moment are suing the automaker and different key gamers, alleging they have been misled in regards to the viability of the hydrogen fueling community. With infrastructure collapsing and hydrogen costs surging, a number of Mirai drivers have discovered themselves nonetheless paying for vehicles they don’t even drive anymore.
The authorized backlash comes as Toyota and different early champions of hydrogen-powered mobility face rising criticism over whether or not they pushed a expertise too quickly into an unprepared market.
A inexperienced gamble gone mistaken
Sam D’Anna had barely pushed his $75,000 Toyota Mirai in July 2022 when he realized one thing was mistaken. His Mirai’s hydrogen tank was practically empty. A dealership staffer at Roseville Toyota ran over to tell him that the closest fueling station, in Citrus Heights, was offline. The following closest one was in West Sacramento, practically 25 miles away. That shouldn’t be an issue for the Mirai resulting from its 402-mile EPA-estimated vary, however because the automotive was virtually empty, his vary indicator confirmed solely 22 miles.
“I’ve already signed,” D’Anna informed the Sacramento Bee. He ended up droving off the lot with the air con turned off to preserve gasoline. “That is unhealthy. My coronary heart was dropping into my abdomen.”
D’Anna is now one of many plaintiffs in a category motion lawsuit towards Toyota, hydrogen station operator FirstElement Gas, the Hydrogen Gas Cell Partnership, and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The criticism, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court docket, accuses the defendants of fraud, negligence, and violations of client safety legal guidelines, amongst others. It alleges that Toyota knowingly bought autos reliant on a fueling ecosystem that was greater than subpar, trapping consumers in loans for vehicles they will barely use.
D’Anna’s Mirai now sits unused below a tarp at his father’s home in El Dorado County. He nonetheless pays practically $1,100 a month on the automotive, on prime of a $1,200 month-to-month cost for a Ford F-150 hybrid he bought in 2023 as a substitute.
Infrastructure that by no means materialized
At its peak, California’s hydrogen imaginative and prescient appeared bold however achievable. The state pledged tens of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to construct a community of fueling stations. Automakers like Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda launched modern zero-emission autos powered by compressed hydrogen gasoline.
The pitch was compelling. Drivers may refuel in a couple of minutes and emit solely water vapor, a seemingly cheap if not preferable different to electrical autos, which have been nonetheless gaining traction.
However the real-world rollout didn’t preserve tempo with the advertising. California at present has about 50 hydrogen fueling stations, as per information from the Hydrogen Gas Cell Partnership. And in 2024, Shell exited the market and shuttered a number of areas.
Even when hydrogen stations can be found, they’re typically tormented by upkeep points and inconsistent provide. Hydrogen costs have tripled too, and what as soon as value $70 to fill now runs nearer to $200, the Bee famous.
In a press release to Teslarati, Patrick Peterson, auto professional at GoodCar.com, mentioned, “Toyota and Hyundai have been among the many first to push hydrogen ahead, and their autos are genuinely spectacular. However the subject isn’t the tech, it’s every part round it. The infrastructure simply isn’t prepared. Most drivers aren’t prepared to gamble on whether or not they’ll discover a working hydrogen station or take care of points like frozen gasoline nozzles.”
Peterson mentioned hydrogen’s greatest flaw is its lack of consistency. “EVs, for all their early bumps, have earned client belief. You’ve bought widespread charging entry, predictable efficiency, and fewer query marks. Hydrogen hasn’t hit that time but. One unhealthy fill-up can bitter somebody’s view of your entire platform.”
The value of religion in an concept
Ricky Yap of West Sacramento purchased his 2016 Toyota Mirai in 2020 from Roseville Toyota. The automobile, priced at $16,000, got here with a pay as you go gasoline card price the identical quantity. Initially, the fueling expertise was “a bit cumbersome and complicated however not so unhealthy,” Yap informed the Bee. Then issues bought rather a lot worse.
Shell’s closure of hydrogen stations led to lengthy traces on the solely remaining web site in Sacramento. Hydrogen costs soared, and fueling, because of lengthy traces on the station, ended up taking so long as 4 hours. Yap finally stopped utilizing the automotive altogether. He canceled the insurance coverage and registered it as a non-operational automobile.
“I used it very seldom simply due to the very fact I don’t just like the stress,” he mentioned. “I don’t need to pay insurance coverage on a automotive that I can’t use each day.”
The lawsuit claims that Toyota and its companions misled customers in regards to the viability of the hydrogen ecosystem. Many homeowners have been pushed by environmental motivations, enticed by beneficiant incentives and Toyota’s fame. However the resale worth of hydrogen vehicles has collapsed.
One plaintiff, Parita Shah, a doctor assistant from Sacramento County, informed the Bee that her dealership provided her solely $2,000 for her $36,000 Mirai after stations close to her residence shut down simply months after buy.
Customers’ authorized motion turns up the stress
In July 2025, pissed off Mirai homeowners organized an illustration in Los Angeles to attract consideration to what they known as a damaged promise. Protesters held indicators studying “Mirai is a Lie,” “Toyota Made a Huge Mistake,” and “Mirai Left Me Dry.”
Jason Ingber, lawyer for D’Anna, Yap, and several other different Mirai homeowners, spoke on the occasion. He accused the automaker of knowingly promoting a product right into a failing infrastructure.
“These are manufacturers they thought they might depend on, and so they go in, and so they’re informed ‘That is the following smartest thing!’ and it seems, it’s not,” Ingber informed KTLA 5.
Ingber additionally shared a remark to Teslarati: “Toyota remains to be promoting this automotive. It makes no rattling sense. No gasoline for drivers. The automotive doesn’t work as marketed,” he mentioned.
Automakers provide restricted reduction
Toyota has acknowledged the fueling points and confirmed that it stopped promoting new Mirais within the Sacramento space over a 12 months in the past. In a press release to the Bee, the corporate mentioned it’s “working with affected Mirai clients to establish methods to assist them on a case-by-case foundation.”
Rental vehicles and repair credit are among the many treatments provided, however plaintiffs argued that these usually are not sustainable options. Shah said that the rental course of is kind of cumbersome. In her case, she has been counting on a sequence of short-term rental vehicles offered by Toyota, which she should alternate each 25 days. She continues to make $326 month-to-month funds on he Mirai, which she can not use.
Hyundai, whose Nexo SUV additionally depends on hydrogen gasoline, has provided related 21-day rental choices. The corporate additionally issued a recall for about 1,600 Nexo SUVs in late 2024 resulting from potential hydrogen leaks and potential fires, warning homeowners to park their vehicles exterior till repairs have been made.
A shrinking market
Since 2012, slightly below 18,000 hydrogen-powered autos have been bought in California. Toyota accounts for the overwhelming majority of them, however the tempo of adoption has slowed dramatically. For comparability, California now has hundreds of thousands of battery electrical and hybrid autos on the highway.
Insurance policies have additionally seen a notable shift. California initially dedicated about $20 million yearly to develop hydrogen fueling infrastructure. That quantity has since dropped to $15 million, and it’s now not restricted to light-duty stations.
Josh Newman, a former state senator and present Mirai proprietor, informed the Bee that authorities assist has fallen brief. “I blame the state. We have been imagined to have 200 stations up and working for light-duty hydrogen autos by 2025,” he mentioned.
In a press release to Teslarati, Alex Black, Chief Advertising and marketing Officer at EpicVIN, mentioned the issue now extends past infrastructure. “Sure, hydrogen vehicles do have a picture drawback proper now,” he mentioned.
“Many simply wouldn’t have confidence within the expertise, largely as a result of they haven’t seen very many on the market, there usually are not many locations to fill them up, and have heard about earlier recall issues or issues. That tends to stay with them.”
Black added that public sentiment performs a robust function. “When public sentiment turns, all exercise involves an finish: diminished demand, diminished funding, and fewer stations are constructed. It’s a vicious circle.”
A clear tech cautionary story
Toyota’s funding in hydrogen was daring and well-intentioned. The expertise affords obvious benefits, particularly for long-haul or business use instances the place fast refueling and lengthy vary are crucial. However for private mobility, hydrogen’s future stays unsure, if not questionable, in the present day.
The expertise should still discover its place in transportation. However for now, at the very least, client belief in hydrogen autos has been undermined, and infrastructure remains to be unreliable for individuals who have opted to turn into early adopters of the expertise. For many who purchased into the imaginative and prescient early, the expertise has was a cautionary story.
“Folks need one thing they will rely on,” mentioned Black in his assertion to Teslarati. “They usually need it to be straightforward. Hydrogen is just not fairly there but.”
For Mirai homeowners nonetheless making month-to-month funds on vehicles they can’t drive, the concept of a hydrogen powered future may be very sobering.
