THE Toyota Mirai has set an official Guinness World Records title for the longest distance covered by a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle without refuelling.

It covered 845 miles on a single, five-minute complete fill of hydrogen on a round trip in Southern California, establishing a new distance benchmark for zero emission vehicles.

The official record attempt was monitored by Guinness World Records and adhered to its strict rules and documentation procedures.

The Mirai logged 152mpge (miles-per-US gallon equivalent or 182.5 mpg Imperial), with water its only emission.

Guinness World Records adjudicator Michael Empric validated the car's tank with a seal at the start and end of the journey.

The Toyota was driven by professional hyper-miler Wayne Gerdes and co-piloted by Bob Winger, using specialist driving techniques that maximised the car's fuel efficiency potential, while respecting safety and the rules of the road.

"As a Guinness World Records adjudicator for 10 years, I've had the opportunity to witness incredible attempts, including several distance-related feats," said Empric. "The Toyota Mirai's journey without the need to refuel showcases the power of fuel cell electric technology. This technology and the design ingenuity of the team at Toyota led to a history-making moment."

By the end of the trip the Mirai consumed a total of 5.65kg of hydrogen and passed 12 hydrogen stations along the drive routes without refuelling.

It was driven mainly during rush hour traffic in temperatures between 65 to 83 degrees Fahrenheit. It produced zero CO2, where a standard internal combustion engine vehicle would have emitted about 300kg of CO2over the same distance.

The record achievement is the latest in a series of Mirai efficiency feats.

In June this year, it broke through the 1,000km (600-mile) range barrier in an economy run during the Paris de l'hydrogène hydrogen energy exhibition in the French capital.

In 2018, the first generation Mirai became the first hydrogen-fuelled car to make the 880-plus mile journey from John O'Groats to Land's End in a marathon drive.

The Mirai is on sale in the UK with prices ranging from £49,995 to £64,995 following Toyota's decision to cut the costs of ownership by some 20 per cent in 2020.