When the Doc Brown character in “Back to the Future” stuffed a banana peel and a Miller beer – can included – into a DeLorean time machine to transport himself from 1985 to a fictional version of Oct. 21, 2015, no one would have guessed that trash could actually be used to power a car in the real 2015.

Yet that future is, quite literally, now. And Toyota is at the vanguard.

In a cheeky tie-in to the classic film trilogy, the Japanese automaker recreated the fictional town square of Hill Valley on Tuesday evening, parking its Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle in place of the infamous DeLorean on a Hollywood set.

One of the sources of its fuel: a filling station in Fountain Valley that is capable of generating hydrogen gas from garbage disposal waste and whatever else makes its way to the sewer in Orange County’s Sanitation District.

“It’s very exciting to be on the cutting edge of driving a car that has no emissions,” said Penny Abramowitz of Yorba Linda.

Abramowitz and her husband, Mark, were among dozens of new Mirai owners at Toyota’s “Back to the Future” event. Purchased from Toyota of Orange, their car has already arrived at the Port of Los Angeles and the couple expects to start driving it within the week.

The Abramowitzes are among 2,000-plus Californians who have signed up to buy or lease Toyota’s first-ever, zero-emissions hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, which went on sale Wednesday.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in Toyota and all the work they’ve done,” said Mark Abramowitz, who currently drives a Honda Civic powered with compressed natural gas. “Over the years, they’ve done an incredible job with each iteration of the fuel cell cars. Everything since the Prius has been a step-by-step leading us to where we are today.”

Toyota of Orange is one of two O.C. dealerships selling the $58,325 sedan that uses a hydrogen fuel cell to generate the electricity that can propel it more than 300 miles per fill-up; the Mirai can also be leased for $499 a month.

Tustin Toyota is likewise among the eight California dealerships that will sell and lease the car during its first production year.

“Not only are we marking a moment in pop culture, we’re marking a turning point in automotive history,” said Toyota USA general manager Bill Fay.

“It feels similar to 2000 when we launched a car called Prius,” Fay said Tuesday. “People thought we were a little crazy at that point. They called the car a bit of a science experiment, but the innovators, the real trailblazers, didn’t see it that way. And here we are again, launching a brand-new technology that has the potential to revolutionize our industry.”

The Mirai, which means “future” in Japanese, can be refueled at just eight hydrogen stations in California, two of which are in Orange County – Costa Mesa, in addition to Fountain Valley.

Forty-seven additional hydrogen fueling stations are in development for the state, nine of which are due to be open in Orange County by early next year, They include locations in Anaheim, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Orange and San Juan Capistrano.

The Mirai isn’t the first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle available to California drivers, but it is the first that can be purchased outright. The Honda Clarity, Mercedes-Benz B-Class F Cell and Hyundai Tucson fuel cell vehicles are also available, but only for lease.

Next year, Honda plans to introduce its next generation fuel cell vehicle.

Contact the writer: scarpenter@ocregister.com On Twitter: @OCRegCarpenter