Fueled by Bullsh*t

TORRANCE, Calif., April 22, 2015 /3BL Media/ – Sometimes reality stinks. Toyota has tapped award-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock to show how calling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles “bullsh*t” isn’t far from the truth.    

“Fueled by Bullsh*t” is the first online video in a multi-part “Fueled by Everything” series aimed to educate a broad audience about the innovative ways hydrogen fuel can be made from renewable sources. Spurlock directed the 3-minute piece which features a dairy farmer and mechanical engineer as they follow cow manure  from a mooing supply source to its ultimate use in powering the hydrogen fuel cell electric Toyota Mirai.

“This project gave us the opportunity to dive into a world that most people don’t understand but has the potential to change our world,” said Spurlock.  “Witnessing manure, something most of us view as being pretty disposable, being transformed into hydrogen fuel to power a car was pretty remarkable.  I think this short film is pretty compelling evidence of what could be possible in the years ahead.”

Beyond high quality dung, hydrogen can be manufactured from other renewable energy sources like solar, wind and biogas from landfills. These production methods can result in a domestic and locally sourced fuel that powers the Mirai while emitting only water vapor from the tailpipe.   

The multi-series video campaign is launching through the Toyota Mirai website (www.toyota.com/mirai) and additional digital properties with paid online media support.  The Toyota Mirai site will also feature a deeper dive into the scientific process of creating hydrogen fuel, with explanations from scientists and experts in the field.  This content will also appear across Toyota social and media partner sites, including Forbes.com, YouTube and Hulu.

“We’re putting hydrogen in the spotlight for its exciting potential as a renewable fuel source,” said Bob Carter, senior vice president, automotive operations, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “This is the beginning of the road for hydrogen, but we see the potential and we’re making a long-term investment in the future.”

The four-door, mid-sized Toyota Mirai delivers performance similar to traditional internal combustion engines – re-fueling in about five minutes and a range of up to 300 miles on a full tank. The Mirai will go on sale in California later this year.

Toyota’s “Fueled by Everything” campaign was created with creative agency partner Droga5. To see the video and information about Toyota’s commitment to fuel cell technology, visit www.toyota.com/mirai/fueledbyeverything.html.
 

  About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants and directly employ more than 40,000 people. Our 1,800 North American dealerships sold more than 2.5 million cars and trucks in 2013 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.
 
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As part of this commitment, we share the company’s extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
 

Media Contacts

Jana Hartline
Toyota Advanced Technology Communications
310-779-0415
jana_hartline@toyota.com
 
Sarah Ingram
Golin for Toyota
213-438-8780
singram@golin.com