2022 Toyota Mirai Gains Hands-Free Teammate System

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

Recently, Lexus introduced its "Lexus Teammate" system for the 2022 LS sedan. With the feature, the LS offers hands-free driving on the highway, similar to Ford's Blue Cruise and General Motors' Super Cruise. The system is considered to be a Level 2 system and is launching in the U.S. in the LS sedan. With Lexus being a part of Toyota, we were wondering when Toyota Teammate, essentially the same thing as Lexus Teammate, would become available on a vehicle with a Toyota badge. Now we have our answer, as the 2022 Toyota Mirai is now available with the feature.

Teammate Expands To Mirai

It may seem odd for Toyota to be launching Toyota Teammate on the Mirai, which is a vehicle that's only sold in a few states and has very limited appeal because of its hydrogen powertrain, but the Mirai is the brand's most futuristic model. With other brands offering similar systems on luxury vehicles, it wouldn't make sense for Toyota to offer it on affordable options like the Corolla or Camry.

Toyota Teammate is comprised of two major parts that include Advanced Park and Advanced Drive. Like its name suggests, Advanced Park is meant to make it easier to park the vehicle. With 360-degree sensors, Advanced Park helps the car detect an open space that's big enough for the vehicle to fit in or obstructions that could possibly stop the car from fitting. Drivers can activate the park-assist feature with a touch of a button. Doing so will allow the vehicle to accelerate, brake, steer, and change gears to park into a spot without any help from the driver.

Advanced Drive is the more impressive part of the equation. It's classified as a Level 2 driver-assist system that is capable of handling all of the acceleration, steering, and braking required to drive on a highway. On "limited access highways under certain conditions," Advanced Drive allows the driver to remove their hands off the wheel, though they will have to keep their eyes on the road ahead. In addition to being able to keep the vehicle in the middle of its lane and maintaining a set distance to a lead vehicle, Advanced Drive can also complete lane changes and overtake vehicles.

It's A Pricey Package

While Toyota Teammate sounds like a great addition to the Mirai, it's an expensive, subscription-based service. Advanced Drive is a $5,170 option that brings access to the system for 10 years. Since you need to spring for the Mirai Limited to get the system, you're looking at spending $72,195 to get into a Toyota with its Teammate system. Toyota hasn't confirmed how much the system will cost after the 10-year initial phase.

With the high cost of the features and the limited availability of the Mirai, we're not sure if people will rush to their local Toyota dealership to purchase a Mirai. Still, this could be a good sign that Toyota may expand the availability of Teammate in the future to other vehicles. Don't expect it to be cheap, though.

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods