Following the Super Taikyu Fuji 24 Hours race, Toyota has provided further details on the hydrogen engine in competition and the use of liquid hydrogen for the GR Corolla H2. The vehicle will be on display this week at the 24H Le Mans.

At the race in Fuji, Toyota’s President, Koji Sato, and the president of the ACO, Pierre Fillon, paved the way for carbon-neutral competition cars for the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours. Indeed, the future hydrogen category in 2026 will be open to both fuel cells and internal combustion engines (as in the GR Corolla H2 Concept). According to Pierre Fillon, the aim is even to have 100% of the Le Mans new top class running on hydrogen by 2030.

More details about these projects will be announced during the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

A solution that reduces refuelling time

In 2021, when the project began, Toyota opted for gaseous hydrogen. For Fuji, however, liquid hydrogen was used for the first time. This solution allows for more hydrogen to be carried on board while doubling the range. It also makes refuelling stops quicker and more efficient because it can be refuelled like petrol vehicles. Compressors and hydrogen pre-coolers are no longer required.

As a result, the surface area required to install the refuelling station is four times smaller. Besides, as it is no longer necessary to pressurise during refuelling, several vehicles can be refuelled successively.

However, the liquid hydrogen must be maintained at temperatures below -253 degrees during filling and storage. This also means developing a fuel pump that can operate at such low temperatures. Also, some problems need to be solved such as tank evaporation.

Further weight savings for Toyota hydrogen Corolla

Over the last two months, the weight of the GR Corolla H2 Concept has been reduced by more than 50kg. This weight reduction has made it possible to beat the lap times achieved by the first hydrogen gas-powered GR Corolla. To take this further, joint research is being carried out with Kyoto University, the University of Tokyo and Waseda University into technologies to reduce the weight and size of liquid hydrogen systems.

Do you want to learn more about Toyota and their liquid hydrogen Corolla? Then you should read this article.

Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King