Toyota wants the world – and particularly Americans – to know that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are the way of the future.
The world's largest car maker for three years running is throwing a whole stack of cash at promoting hydrogen fuel, enlisting award-winning film maker Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold) to direct the first of a series of three-minute online short films.
Titled Fueled by Bullsh*t the first short film in the series commissioned by Toyota is designed to promote the idea that hydrogen can be harvested from renewable sources, and that it's not just pie-in-the-sky futurism.
"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," said the film maker.
It shows how bovine poo can be refined and then used to fuel a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, in this case the new Toyota Mirai, the company's first fully commercialised hydrogen car.
Toyota reckons it takes about five minutes to fill up the Mirai's hydrogen fuel tank – quicker than a fast-charge battery system – for around 500km of range.
Although the Mirai will be sold in many global markets, Australia is not one of them. Toyota forecasts that hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles won't be available to the Australian public for another decade.
Nevertheless, the battle lines are being drawn between the likes of pure electric vehicles (EV), such as the Tesla Model S, and hydrogen-powered vehicles, such as Toyota's Mirai, and it remains to be seen which technology will reign supreme.
Perhaps both can co-exist in the future when ever-tightening emissions regulations eventually ring the death-knell of the internal combustion engine?
Whatever the case, the new 'bullsh*t' film is Toyota's first major offensive in winning over the hearts and minds of motorists.