Thanks Bill. That's the information I was looking for.
I was curious about whether this was mentioned in the owner manuals of FCVs.
so out of curiosity I downloaded the Mirai manual from the web
https://www.startmycar.com/toyota/mirai/info/manuals/2021
It's 560 pages! I thought at first that it must be multi-lingual, but nope,
that's all English text. I confess, I didn't read it all, just skimmed
interesting topics.
First of all, I was specifically looking for information or advice about
ventilating the garage where the owner is going to park the Mirai. I didn't
find any. The only mention of "vent" in the index refers to the seat
ventilators. "Garage" is about Homelink programming. "Parking" guides us
to parking assist, parking brake, parking lights, and "parking support
brake," which is a low speed collision avoidance system.
The manual has some information about the car's safety systems. Apparently
it has a hydrogen leakage detector that posts a warning on the info screen.
The car has 3 bulky cylindrical H2 tanks. The vehicle schematic diagram
showing them made me think of EV conversion, when you have to figure out
where to fit in a dozen or two lead batteries, with little choice about
their shape.
One H2 tank is in the center between the seats, where a driveshaft would be
in an FE/RD car. (I thought we were done with that waste of interior
space.) One appears to be transversely mounted under the seats, and the
third behind the rear axle (shades of the Pinto's gas tank). They're all
claimed to be physically outside the passenger cabin, so presumably they're
hung underneath.
I don't see dimensions, but they look like they might indeed cover less
total square area than a typical EV battery. However, they may be taller
than some/most EV lithium batteries.
There's a traction battery, too. It's smaller than a typical EVs but
appears to be mounted over the rear axle, behind the rear seat. Depending
on its mass relative to the H2 tanks, that might raise questions about the
car's center of gravity.
In a collision the hydrogen tank valves supposedly shut off. Given the
location of the transverse tanks, though, I have to wonder how well they'd
hold together in a high speed side T-bone by a 3-ton jacked-up pickup.
The hydrogn tanks have an EXPIRATION DATE! It's posted on the inside of
the fuel door, and "Vehicles with expired hydrogen tanks must not be driven
or refueled until the hydrogen tanks are replaced." I wonder what that
costs.
The manual has 113 pages about using the "driving support system," but only
2-1/2 pages of fuel cell and hydrogen warnings. In that section we find
such gems as:
"If you notice gas leaking or any other malfunction, immediately stop the
vehicle in a safe and well-ventilated place, exit the vehicle, and stay far
away from it." (Interesting that that use of the word "ventilated" wasn't
in the index.)
"In case of a vehicle fire, the hydrogen gas in the tanks is released angled
downward on the right side and rear of the vehicle, in order to reduce
damage to the hydrogen tanks. Stay away from the vehicle and do not stand
on either the right side or the rear of the vehicle." (Maybe it's just my
ignorance, but that doesn't sound good at all.)
"If your vehicle needs to be towed, do so with the rear wheels lifted. If
the wheels are touching the ground, the motor may continue to generate
electricity. This may cause a fire."
"If the traction battery is not properly collected [by a dealer], the
following may occur, resulting in death or serious injury: The traction
battery may be illegally disposed [of] or dumped, and it is hazardous to the
environment."
"Do not carry large amounts of water such as water cooler bottles in the
vehicle. If water spills onto the traction battery, the battery may be
damaged."
Also, "Never drink the water coming out of the tailpipe." :-)
Elsewhere in the manual: "When starting the fuel cell system during cold
weather, 'FCV System Due to Freezing Stop in a Safe Place See Owner Manual'
may be displayed in the multifunction display. The fuel cell system is
frozen and cannot be started. See your Toyota dealer."
All quite interesting. But, again, not a word about ventilating your garage
when you park a Mirai there.
David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey
To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my
offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt
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