Oyama, Japan - A liquid hydrogen-powered Toyota Corolla completed a 24-hour endurance race at the Fuji International Speedway in Oyama, Japan, on Sunday, marking the first time that a car running on liquid hydrogen has entered a race anywhere in the world.
Toyota hopes to use the severe conditions of racing to identify issues with the car that cannot be found in the research stage. Its goal is to speed up development for commercial sales.
Vehicles with hydrogen-powered engines emit very little carbon dioxide.
Toyota has entered races with Corollas equipped with engines fueled by hydrogen gas since May 2021, but switching from gaseous to liquid hydrogen fuel increases the energy density in the same volume of fuel tank, doubling the cruising range.
"The potential for engine-based decarbonisation will expand," Toyota President Koji Sato said at a news conference on Saturday.
"There are still many challenges for mass production, but breakthroughs can be found in the field."
The configuration of vehicles with hydrogen engines is basically the same as that of petrol-powered vehicles.
Unlike fuel cell vehicles equipped with motors that run on electricity generated from hydrogen, cars with hydrogen engines can utilise parts and technologies from petrol-powered vehicles.
However, to store or fill up a car with liquid hydrogen, the hydrogen must be kept at temperatures lower than minus 253 Celsius.
This requires technologies for fuel pumps and other components.
Toyota initially intended to use a liquid hydrogen-powered car in a March race. But due to an engine room fire during a test run, it ultimately did not enter the race.
Toyota made its debut with a liquid hydrogen-powered Corolla over the weekend, having made modifications after the fire.
The Washington Post