Toyota's solution to keeping combustion engines alive is already underway. Burning hydrogen sounds so good
Published by The team in News the 30/08/2022 at 11:40
Toyota is betting harder than ever on electrification , but that's without forgetting the internal combustion engine. Of course, powered by hydrogen , a fuel that could be the last hope for this type of mechanics.
The Japanese brand has been developing thermal thrusters that "burn" hydrogen for some time . First through a Toyota Corolla which made its competition debut over a year ago and now with the Toyota GR Yaris H2 , which has just been released in a European rally with Toyota President Akio Toyoda at his orders.
Drop the shows, but not the sound
Toyota uses two cars as a laboratory to test these types of engines. On the one hand, a Toyota Corolla equipped with a 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder hydrogen engine that has been competing for more than a year in the Super Taikyu racing series in Japan.
On the other hand, the Toyota GR Yaris H2 Concept which was presented at the end of 2021. It uses the same block as its big brother , but with slight modifications and combined with the Toyota Mirai refueling system as standard.
Compared to the production GR Yaris engine, this GR Yaris H2 engine is reinforced , has new valve seats and an improved injection system. So far the differences.
Despite these changes and the use of another fuel, Toyota assures that the hydrogen engine achieves levels of efficiency similar to that of gasoline. It should therefore develop around 260 hp , although the brand has not provided precise figures.
Precisely, the Toyota GR Yaris H2 was the model chosen by Toyota to carry out the first tests of its hydrogen engine on public roads outside of Japan, specifically in Belgium .
Taking advantage of the Ypres Rally celebration, the GR Yaris H2 drove as a safety car in a 15 kilometer section. For trial purposes only; his competitive debut will have to wait.
The person in charge of driving it was the president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda , who had a co-driver of the highest level: Juha Kankkunen . The Finn was world rally champion in 1993 in a Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD and last raced in the WRC in 2010.
Stepping out of the GR Yaris H2, Toyoda said, “I thank Juha for her courtesy in allowing me to drive. He guided me in sync with my driving, putting me at ease. We were able to demonstrate in Europe the potential of hydrogen as an option to achieve carbon neutrality.
For his part, Kankkunen said: “Akio's driving was excellent. And the hydrogen engine produces solid torque, so it 's no different than a gasoline engine."
"Because they emit no CO2, I think hydrogen engines will become one of the options to achieve carbon neutrality, not only in the world of motorsports, but also in the world of road cars " , added Kankkunen.
The CEO of the Japanese firm has shown himself to be a real enthusiast of the automotive world on many occasions . Thanks to him, models such as the Toyota GR Yaris and the Toyota GR 86 have arrived on the streets , which coexist without problems with Toyota's enormous range of electrified vehicles.
This passion for the automotive world has made this authentic petrolhead , known as Morizo , continue to fiercely defend combustion engines and passionate cars in order to continue enjoying them for a long time. Despite anti-pollution regulations and increasingly strict restrictions.
To achieve this, he is one of the main promoters of hydrogen as a fuel for traditional combustion engines. After introducing the hydrogen fuel cell to production in the Toyota Mirai , Toyota set out to see hydrogen replace diesel or gasoline.
In this way, it would be possible to drastically reduce the level of emissions without giving up the sensations and the sound of the internal combustion engines "of all life". To taste, the video of the GR Yaris H2 in action, but especially that of this hydrogen-powered Toyota Corolla :
After seeing the GR Yaris H2 on the stages of the Belgian rally, it remains to be seen what will be next. The hydrogen test Corolla has already shown that it can be competitive in racing and we already know that BMW and Toyota will continue to bet heavily on the hydrogen car.
It is not yet known if we will only see this type of engine in competition (even limited to the circuit) or also in the streets. Of course, in Europe, they're struggling because the administration has proposed banning the sale of non-zero-emission cars by 2035.
This would include hydrogen ones as they would emit minimal CO2 (it wouldn't go to zero as they would still burn oil), as long as that hydrogen is green.
According to calculations by Jason Finsk of Engineering Explained , the hydrogen-powered Corolla would actually emit 0.58g/km of CO2. It is nothing, but the European Union is frank.
Fortunately, there are people like Akio Toyoda in the automotive industry. There is no doubt that Morizo will continue to seek alternatives such as the GR Yaris H2 to end up being the salvation of the internal combustion engine.
