Toyota has released details of an experimental, hydrogen-powered concept version of its GR Yaris hot hatch.
Race-developed engine
The GR Yaris uses the same powertrain as the hydrogen-powered Corolla Sport currently racing in Japan's Super Taikyu endurance series. This engine is actually a modified version of the same 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged unit currently found in the production versions of both the Corolla Sport and GR Yaris, but using a modified fuel supply and injection system.
Whereas fuel-cell electric vehicles such as Toyota's own Mirai use a chemical process to convert hydrogen into electricity to power the car, both the racing Corolla and the experimental GR Yaris use hydrogen as a combustible fuel, in the same way as an ordinary engine uses petrol or liquid petroleum gas. The GR Yaris concept does, however, use a few parts from the Mirai, such as its fuel tanks and refuelling apparatus.
The main upshots of using hydrogen as a combustible fuel are that it's clean-burning, meaning much lower carbon emissions than petrol or diesel. Another is that, aside from the fuel storage and injection systems, in theory, it relies on established internal-combustion principles, so the need to develop entirely new types of powertrain is diminished. For racers and enthusiastic drivers, the combustibility of hydrogen also means that cars with this type of powerplant still produce the same kind of sensory elements such as the sound and responsiveness of a petrol engine.
Thus far, the hydrogen-powered Corolla Sport has been competing in the Super Taikyu series since May 2021 under the Rookie Racing arm of Toyota's Gazoo Racing. It currently runs in the ST-Q category for experimental cars and will compete in the same class next year alongside a Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ, both running on fuel derived from biomass. Racing has, so far, been a useful testbed for the technology on which Toyota has been working since 2017. While it isn't yet ready to commercialise hydrogen combustion engines, Toyota certainly believes it has a bright future.
According to Michael Gaynor, Toyota Ireland's marketing director:
"For generations Toyota has spearheaded the low-emissions motoring revolution. With a class leading range of self-charging hybrid vehicles, we have been committed to reducing emissions and edging closer to complete carbon neutrality. With the advancement in hydrogen-powered technology, we believe this will be a game changing innovation for the motoring industry as we know it."
Hydrogen's future
Hydrogen does, however, have a dark side. Currently, most hydrogen is derived as a by-product of natural gas and is incredibly carbon-intensive to produce. While greener hydrogen can be produced using electrolysis to separate the hydrogen and oxygen in water, it requires a vast amount of electricity, which many electricity grids are currently unable to supply on a large scale.
For hydrogen to really be one of the fuels of the future, it'll require significant upgrades to national grids in Ireland and elsewhere and considerable additional investment in scaling up the supply of renewable energy.
In the meantime, have a read of our review of the petrol-powered Toyota GR Yaris.