Toyota has unveiled its GR H2 Racing Concept, a new hydrogen-powered endurance racer that the Japanese carmaker intends to bring to the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2026.
The unveiling follows a recent announcement by the ACO - the organisers of the Le Mans race - that hydrogen-engined cars would be allowed to compete alongside electric vehicles in the 2026 event.
The Toyota prototype
Very few details of the GR H2 Racing Concept have been made public. The car measures 5,100mm long and 2,050mm wide and is powered by a hydrogen-fuelled engine as part of a hybrid system - though no other specifications have been confirmed.
Toyota and hydrogen power
An exponent of hydrogen power for many years, the release of the Mirai in 2014 marked Toyota's first attempt at commercialising hydrogen-powered transport.
Toyota has also experimented with hydrogen-engined racing cars since (the company has raced a hydrogen-powered Corolla in Japan's Super Taikyu series since 2021) and it has also promised to keep developing its hydrogen technology, in a move that the carmaker says is "toward the realisation of a carbon-neutral society."
Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda is happy with the Le Mans announcement: "My goal is to achieve carbon neutrality in motorsports without sacrificing anything in terms of performance or excitement."
Commenting on the reveal of the GR H2 Racing Concept, Toyoda added: "The sound, the torque, the dynamics, it's all there. Not only are we re-imagining the race car, we're doing it with zero emissions. Here's to the next 100 years of chequered flags!"
A hydrogen future for Le Mans
Le Mans will formally introduce a new hydrogen category in 2026, with the burgeoning hypercar category expected to be fully hydrogen-powered in the near future.
Toyota is supportive of the plans - with chairman Toyoda describing Le Mans as "a place where we not only compete in one of the world's most celebrated races but a place where we can push the boundaries of technology - a place where we can realise the future."
"We are grateful to the ACO and Le Mans for providing this unique opportunity to share our efforts with the world."
"The goal is to have all the top category in 2030 with hydrogen," said ACO president Pierre Fillon in an interview with Reuters.
"This [hydrogen] technology can work not only in cars. It works in trucks, it will work in trains, in boats, all the EV transportation. For us it's very important to continue in this direction."
In a statement, Fillon praised the GR H2 concept, saying that today "is a new crucial step for the creation of the Hydrogen category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans."
"Toyoda San, by officially presenting this hydrogen project today, you have left your mark on the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans."