The Natural History Museum has become the latest UK academic and research organisation to take delivery of a Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell saloon.

It has been acquired with support from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2 ME) and the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCHJU), and follows Mirai cars recently delivered to University College London and Imperial College London.

The Mirai will be used on regular business jouneys around London when taking public transport is not possible, for example when moving fragile specimens.

It will also be used for shuttle trips between the museum’s sites in South Kensington and Tring, Hertfordshire.

The museum will use the Mirai as a case study to ascertain the viability of transferring all its vehicles to hydrogen.

Wayne Hitchings, Natural History Museum energy and sustainability manager, said: “We are always looking for opportunities to reduce our impact on the environment.

“With water being the only emission from this hydrogen-powered car, we will be decreasing the museum’s carbon emissions and helping us move towards a future where people and planet thrive together.”