Toyota continues to develop hydrogen combustion engine technology
Brand is looking at how hydrogen can help to power traditional engines
Toyota is continuing to work on an engine powered by hydrogen as the brand explores various possibilities for zero-emissions vehicles.
Last year the Japanese firm revealed a one-off version of its GR Yaris that used hydrogen to power its engine, rather than using petrol. Since then Toyota has continued to develop the car, with it being used in various motorsport activities to show its worthiness.
Recalling its original reveal, Matt Harrison, CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, said: “It was almost like we’d discovered the holy grail, keeping everything we love about driving today but delivering in the zero-emission world of tomorrow. Since then our engineers have worked hard to further develop the technology.”
Toyota says its ongoing testing has led to ‘rapid progress’ of the technology, with the brand managing to increase engine power by 24 per cent in that time, improve engine torque by 33 per cent and ‘significantly reduce’ the time needed to refuel.
The brand is now applying the technology outside of motorsport in the hope it might make production, creating a prototype of its Corolla Cross SUV – not currently sold in the UK – that runs on hydrogen combustion.
Toyota says the model is ‘suitable for everyday use’ and that because the hydrogen tanks are sorted beneath the boot floor, it can seat five adults and accommodate their luggage too.
The Japanese firm says it will soon begin winter testing the hydrogen combustion model in northern Japan.
The propulsion technology is said to be ‘40 per cent along the path to commercialisation’, though Harrison said it was “too early to say” whether the model would ever reach full production, though he added that there was a “clear opportunity in motorsport”.
