Toyota To Test Liquid Hydrogen Car In 2023 Endurance Races

Japanese auto giant Toyota Motor Corp. plans to enter an in-development car using liquid hydrogen into 2023 endurance race events as part of efforts to make vehicles powered by the environmentally friendly fuel commercially viable, Mainichi Japan reported.

Photo Insert: In September 2022, the company set up a team of about 30 specialists to work toward developing a commercially viable vehicle powered by a hydrogen engine.

While many major automakers are focusing on electric vehicles to achieve carbon neutral targets, Toyota has also invested in developing a range of technologies, including hydrogen-powered automobiles, which produce almost no carbon dioxide when operating.

For carmakers, the pressure is on to provide sustainable replacements for gasoline-powered vehicles, which the Japanese government aims to eliminate from new car sales by 2035 as part of its push for a carbon neutral society by 2050.

By subjecting the liquid hydrogen car to endurance races, Toyota intends to improve the nascent technology's functionality and address some of its challenges, including how to keep hydrogen liquid at minus 253 C.

Using hydrogen in liquid form instead of its gaseous state would double a car's mileage and allow for smaller hydrogen fueling stations. Liquid hydrogen engines must burn the element as gas after converting it from a liquid.

In September 2022, the company set up a team of about 30 specialists to work toward developing a commercially viable vehicle powered by a hydrogen engine. Among the issues it is tasked with addressing is ensuring the vehicle can operate at below-freezing temperatures.

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