Capitalising on its experience in competition, the Japanese brand has just presented a prototype based on a Cross Corolla, a compact SUV designed for the road.
For Toyota, it is too early to state zero emission as the only solution. This is why, apart from the battery, they are working on hydrogen (both the battery and the combustion engine), without giving up on the hybrid version.
As far as the hydrogen engine is concerned, we already know that the brand is testing a GR Corolla on racetrack, as part of the Super Taikyu championship. In one season, the engine’s power was improved by 24% and its torque by 33%. Based on these results, Toyota transposed the technology to the Cross Corolla, an SUV version of the eponymous model. It features the 3-cylinder 1.6 L engine adapted to H2 combustion, as well as a fuel tank. The vehicle can take 5 people on board.
At this stage, the brand esteems that the possibility of producing such a vehicle is 40%. It is not certain that this technology is yet suitable for a road user, even if it acknowledges its many advantages (preservation of the combustion engine, quick refuelling, no rare metals involved). But Toyota is convinced that it is a way forward for motor racing.
Do you want to learn more about Toyota? You can read our latest article on the topic here.
PS: You can sign up to our newsletters to follow the latest hydrogen news on a more regular basis:
– “Your hydrogen news live” (to receive all our articles as soon as they are published) and
– “Your weekly newsletter” (sent every Monday morning).
Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King
