OYAMA, Japan — At a sprawling circuit near Mount Fuji, a humble Corolla powered by liquid hydrogen has made its racing debut, part of a move to bring the futuristic technology to the world of racing and demonstrate the Toyota’s determination to develop green vehicles.
Toyota president Akio Toyoda, resplendent in a fire-resistant racing uniform, smiled as he prepared to drive around the circuit in the hydrogen-powered Corolla.
“This is the first time a liquid hydrogen car has raced. We hope it will offer another option in the fight against global warming. To bring smiles to everyone, I want to go one more lap, even for one second.” said Toyoda, a former Toyota chief executive who is the grandson of the automaker’s founder and a licensed racing driver.
The hydrogen Corolla race car won’t be showing up at your dealership anytime soon. The Super Taikyu 24-hour race at Fuji Speedway was just a test for the technology, Toyota officials said.
Unlike electric vehicles, it has a combustion engine, but burns liquid hydrogen instead of gasoline.
Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp., which sells about 10 million vehicles a year, has lagged behind the global shift to battery-powered electric vehicles, but has for years been betting on hydrogen as a potentially carbon neutral solution.
Experts say hydrogen has great potential. But until now, much of the hydrogen, including that used to power the Corolla race car, is made from fossil fuels like natural gas.
Rising fuel prices and concerns about global warming have added urgency to the search for alternative energy sources, particularly in Japan, which imports virtually all of its oil.
Auto racing has been moving to leave its gas-guzzling grunts behind. Toyota’s rival Honda Motor Co. recently said he will return to Formula 1 racing, saying the new regulations are an opportunity for research into new technologies. Other automakers, including General Motors Co., have made similar commitments.
At last week’s event, Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, which organizes Le Mans, announced that the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most famous endurance race, will be open to cars that run on hydrogen with both fuel cells. and combustion engines from 2026.
“Hydrogen for me is a very interesting solution for the future,” Fillon told reporters. “We have to go through zero-emission mobility. This is very important for our planet and our children.”
Toyota chief executive Koji Sato said he hoped to make an announcement soon about Toyota’s participation in Le Mans.
The discussion about green energy solutions is just beginning, said John Heywood, professor emeritus and automotive engine expert at MIT, noting that electric vehicles also have drawbacks such as the need for critical materials that are often sourced in circumstances harmful to the environment or ethics.
“There is nothing ‘unfriendly’ about the internal combustion engine. What matters is the fuel it uses,” Heywood said.
The hydrogen used for Toyota’s racing car is made at a coal gasification plant in Australia and is supplied by Iwatani Corp., a Japanese energy company, as part of a project supported by the Japanese government to promote use of hydrogen for various industries, such as those using fossil fuels.
Green hydrogen is created when renewable energy sources feed an electric current through water, separating its hydrogen and oxygen molecules through electrolysis. The process does not produce planet-warming carbon dioxide, but less than 0.1% of global hydrogen production is currently created this way, according to the IEA.
Critics say it might be better to use this renewable energy than to use it to produce hydrogen. But hydrogen advocates say even those made with natural gas can be green when the carbon emissions are trapped and buried underground.
Sato recognized the challenge.
“What we need to do first is create an environment to use hydrogen. For hydrogen use to spread, that environment has to be solid, and it’s important that the cycle of this system works at all the steps , including transportation and manufacturing,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the race.
There are other drawbacks aside from the verity of hydrogen’s credentials.
In March, a Toyota vehicle fueled by liquid hydrogen caught fire during a race test at the Suzuka circuit, which hosts the Formula 1 Grand Prix and other races.
Hydrogen leaked from a pipe loosened by the vehicle’s vibrations, and a leak sensor worked properly, shutting off the hydrogen in less than a tenth of a second. No one was injured, the cabin was protected and the fire was contained, according to Toyota.
Of the dozens of cars that entered the Fuji Speedway 24-hour race, Toyota’s No. 32 Corolla was destined to lose. Refueling and pit checks so crucial to the race took several minutes, an eternity in a race where competitors battle for seconds.
Still, the debut of liquid hydrogen in racing may be a small step forward, said Tomoya Takahashi, president of Gazoo Racing Co. from Toyota.
“This is about building the future. Electric cars are not the only answer, and the internal combustion engine has potential,” he said.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
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AP Auto Racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
