Photo courtesy of Toyota.

Photo courtesy of Toyota.

Toyota’s Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle has already reached 1,500 orders in Japan, according to the automaker.

Toyota originally projected sales of about 400 units in Japan by the end of 2015, and already has well surpassed this number.

Japan also announced its plans to ease certain regulations related to fuel cells to promote the technology, according to a Bloomberg report.

An estimated 60 percent of the orders are coming from government offices and corporate fleets, according to a press release from the company. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he wants all ministries and agencies to drive the Mirai.

Toyota expressed its strategy toward fleet sales to AutomotiveFleet.com in late 2014. "We've had several events with commercial customers and we've had extremely positive feedback," said Mark Oldenburg, Toyota’s national fleet marketing, mobility and strategic planning manager for the U.S. "It's geared toward commercial accounts that have a strong green message, who want to make an environmental statement."

As a result of the higher demand, the company forecasts a longer time to delivery than originally planned.

The Mirai can travel about 400 miles without refueling, which is about three times further than a battery-electric car, and its tank can be filled in a few minutes like gasoline-powered vehicles, according to Toyota.

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