TOYOTA
Toyota tested a hydrogen-powered Corolla in an endurance race. The test took place at the Fuji Super Taikyu race, at the Fuji Speedway track, in Japan. Details: the race lasted 24 hours. The vehicle stumbled a few times, but completed the challenge.
Toyota tested a hydrogen-powered GR Corolla in a 24-hour endurance race at Fuji Speedway in Japan. This model uses a hydrogen internal combustion engine instead of a fuel cell;
This was not the first test of the hydrogen Corolla. The vehicle has already competed three times in 24-hour races at Fuji Speedway (2021, 2022 and 2023). Last year, the vehicle started using liquid hydrogen, which has greater energy density and facilitates refueling logistics;
In 2024, Toyota faced challenges in improving the Corolla. The manufacturer used a new hydrogen tank (larger and elliptical) and a revised high-pressure pump, which had intermittent problems. Although the car completed the race, it drove fewer laps in 2024 than in 2023;
Despite the challenges, Toyota has seen advances in hydrogen engine performance and efficiency. The switch to liquid hydrogen reduced refueling times by 40%, and the team achieved the goal of 30 laps between refueling. Thus, Toyota remains optimistic about the future of hydrogen combustion cars as a viable and sustainable alternative.
The vehicle tested was a GR Corolla, whose hydrogen powertrain uses an internal combustion engine, rather than a fuel cell. Toyota President Akio “Morizo” Toyoda followed the 24-hour race. In situ.
This wasn't the first time a hydrogen-powered Corolla had participated in a 24-hour race at Fuji. The vehicle had competed three other times – in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Liquid hydrogen has almost twice the energy density – although only a third of that of gasoline. Additionally, the logistics and equipment required to support cryogenic refueling at the race track were much less than with pressurized hydrogen.
Liquid hydrogen is stored in a double-walled tank that is much easier to pack into the compact interior of the GR Corolla than the four pressurized cylinders of before.
In 2024, the hydrogen Corolla's journey in the race was “challenging and evolving”, as announced by Toyota.
From the tank (see image below), a high-pressure pump injects the fuel into a vaporizer, where it becomes gas again and then goes to the engine to be burned. In 2023, the pump had to be replaced twice during the race, which cost hours.
For 2024, Toyota has designed a revised pump to last the full 24 hours. For one thing, during the tests, fuel leaked from the pump – which, again, wasted time. On the other hand, the problem was less severe in 2023, when a leak from a hydrogen gas tube in the engine compartment caused a fire during a test.
However, the new fuel pump had intermittent problems pumping fuel during the race, most likely due to movement in the tank.
At another point, later in the race, a failure in the ABS module left the car in the garage for five hours. As much as the hydrogen Corolla managed to cross the finish line, it completed fewer laps in 2024 than in 2023.
The 2024 race was not a complete failure for Toyota. The team achieved its goal of doing 30 laps between refueling. And although the new pump was not without problems, it did not need to be replaced throughout the race.
Since early development of the hydrogen ICE engine, Toyota has found real gains in performance and efficiency. And the switch to liquid hydrogen has reduced refueling times by 40%. All of this makes it more viable as a carbon-free fuel, according to the company.
Toyota is still optimistic that one day it will be able to sell combustion cars that emit only water through the exhaust. But it is pragmatic enough to know that there needs to be some real financial return for the technology to succeed.
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