Cali man drank water straight from a hydrogen Toyota Mirai tailpipe to answer the question no one's asking
Published on Jul 27, 2025 at 4:08 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 24, 2025 at 3:25 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A man drank water straight from the tailpipe of a hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai to see how it tasted.
Toyota unveiled its hydrogen fuel cell concept car, known as the Toyota FCV-R, back in 2011.
The Toyota Mirai was based on that concept and was the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FVC) to be mass-produced and sold commercially.
Today, more than 21,000 Mirais have been sold worldwide – and one man had a very unusual question about the hydrogen car.
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Well, is it safe to drink from the tailpipe of a Toyota Mirai?
Although the technology for FVC cars has been around a while now, it’s safe to say they haven’t exactly caught on in the way EVs have.
Aside from the Toyota Mirai, a handful of other FVCs have been made, including the Hyundai Nexo and the now-axed Honda FCX.
While the tech has failed to set the automotive industry alight, it was enough to prompt Wired reported Jeremy White to question whether it would be safe to drink the water from a tailpipe of the hydrogen Toyota Mirai.
Back in 2016, he managed to get his hands on one in the UK and put his experiment to the test.
“We didn’t die. In fact, it tasted fine, if a little warm,” he wrote.
But he’s not the only person intrigued and in 2024, the experiment, if you can call it that, was carried out again.
This time, it was the car enthusiast behind The Fast Lane Car Instagram page who gave it a go.
He shared a clip of himself, holding a glass up to the exhaust of the Miari to collect some of the run-off water and then… well, he knocked it back.
“Nah, it doesn’t taste like anything, it’s a little warm,” he said after downing some of the Mirai water.
Thankfully, it gave no ill effects to either of the guys who tried it, but it probably does go some way to prove the statement that just because you can do something, it doesn’t mean you should.
Hydrogen is the greenest choice when it comes to cars
Although hydrogen cars might not be the most popular choice, a new study has revealed that they are the greenest.
A report released by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) this month found that cars powered by green hydrogen create fewer emissions over their entire lifetime than any other type.
That includes battery-powered cars, hybrids, and petrol or diesel models.
In the end, hydrogen cars came out on top, producing just 50 grams of carbon emissions per kilometer, which is even lower than EVs, which came in at 52 grams, when charged with 100 percent renewable electricity.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
