2021 Mirai accessories & 2nd fueling experience

I just got the 2021 Mirai and I've been in love with its features. I've also been active on various forums and discussions about the car, its tech, and, of course, hydrogen fuel. The Mirai community has been great and I'd like to share some of what I found as well as my own experience.

In this post, I'll cover a few accessories as well as my 2nd and 3rd fueling experiences.

Here is a quick link to my first post with more info on the car and the deal.

Accessories

When I purchase a new car, I get this "new car high" where I dig into all aspects of it. Part of that high is finding and buying car accessories to add to the experience. It's a temporary hobby that gives me so much joy.

Because the Mirai (specifically, the 2nd gen Mirai) is such a rare car, there isn't much accessories made for it, but here are a few:

1. Carbon fiber/metal keyfob cover - This is probably my favorite of all the ones I found. We'll see how it turns out. TRD badge on a 182hp car is a bit blasphemous, but hey, it looks fast 😂 -  US $21 |  https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtu9Wir 

   

   I love the carbon fiber version but it's paint on metal so it will eventually scratch. I went with the metal version to be safe. I also think the back looks better on metal.

   
   
2. ZOBIG Toyota keyfob cover - This one provides a silicone cover over the stock plastic buttons (which I hate) so that's a big plus. - US $12.90 | https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNffxrl 

   

   I bought the gun metal color since it looks smaller

   
   
3. Right-angle, flexible USB-C cable - This is great to hook up my android phone for Android Auto. It helps my S10+ fit into that wireless charging slot. The expandable cable will help if I need to pull it out, maybe for a rear passenger to use the phone. - US $3.90 | https://a.aliexpress.com/_mt1HjUr 
   
   
   
4. Retractable sunshade - This is something I've seen on tour buses and have always wondered why car makers don't make them for cars. Well, this sure beats having to unfold and fold a manual sunshade. - US $22.66 | https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrXztjz 
   

Second and third fueling experience

After a few days of driving, my tank got down to 108 miles so it was time to top up again. I wanted to try the Costa Mesa station so I dropped by. Here's the experience:

First time I see a line at an H2 station

Before fueling

Beautiful sunset while refueling

The damage

After fueling

The pump didn't completely fill my tank. Doh! Oh wells, 85% is enough. However, it took me 35 minutes because of the line and the pump had to cool down for one of the previous customers.

A few days later, I heard about the Torrance station having much cheaper fuel ($13/kg vs around $17) so I checked it out. This station has a direct hydrogen feed so it will never run out of H2. Here's what happened:

Prices and what the previous customer paid

Happy Hour discount ($2/kg) and fueling instruction on this new connector

Unfortunately, about a minute into fueling, the pump stopped and beeped. The display said the pump is unavailable. What?!

It had only pumped 0.78kg of hydrogen (about 50 miles worth). A technician walked by and said the compressor needs repair. He's fixing it and it will be available within an hour. Well, I had plenty of fuel left so I didn't  stick around.

Another downside of hydrogen infrastructure being in its infancy.

No big deal. I'll be back for that happy hour rate during lunch next week.