8 hydrogen-powered cars in the works right now

Lexus

It may seem odd that so many automakers are developing hydrogen-powered cars.

Not many people have heard of the technology, and from an infrastructure standpoint, purely electric vehicles make more sense. For example, there are 14,117 electric stations in the United States, and hydrogen stations are really only available in California.

But a lot of work is being done behind the scenes to make hydrogen-powered cars a reality.

Here's a look at all the hydrogen-powered cars we can expect to see in the near future:

1. Toyota has been working on hydrogen-powered cars the longest, having put 23 years into the technology. Here we see its hydrogen car, the Toyota Mirai.

Toyota

The automaker has been selling the Toyota Mirai in Japan since December 2014, but began sales in California in October 2015 — marking the first time hydrogen-powered vehicles were sold in the United States.

The automaker has sold 144 Toyota Mirais in California as of April 11, a Toyota spokesperson told Tech Insider. Toyota plans to sell 30,000 a year worldwide by 2020.

The Toyota Mirai can drive for 312 miles before needing a refuel and reaches a top speed of 111 miles per hour.

Toyota

The Mirai has a frontal radar system so it can detect potential collisions and automatically employ the brakes.

Toyota

Here we see the interior of the Mirai.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider