Japanese auto major Toyota is recalling all the Mirai fuel-cell vehicles it has sold globally due to a software glitch that can shut off its hydrogen-powered system.
The auto giant said it would call back about 2,800 Mirai vehicles made between November 2014 and December 2016 to repair the defect.
Toyota launched Mirai — which means “future” in Japanese — in late 2014 as it looked to push further into the fast-growing market for environmentally friendly cars.
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Mirai was its first mass-market hydrogen fuel-cell car, after Toyota scored a win with the top-selling Prius hybrid, which combines a regular engine and rechargeable electric battery.
Separately, Toyota today launched a new plug-in model of its Prius, after the first version sold poorly following its 2012 release.
The new model can run in electric-only mode — unlike the original Prius — at higher speeds and longer distances than the previous version, Toyota said.
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Fuel cells, meanwhile, work by combining hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical reaction, which produces electricity. This can then be used to power vehicles or home generators.
But a lack of hydrogen refuelling stations has been a major hurdle to bringing fuel-cell cars into the mainstream.
The Mirai was launched with a relatively expensive 6.7 million yen (USD 58,000) price tag.