Hydrogen-powered Toyota Corolla completes five-hour endurance race

By sep, 03 August 2021

A hydrogen-powered Corolla using the engine of a GR Yaris? Interesting...

Toyota Motor Corporation has announced that their hydrogen-powered Toyota Corolla has entered another endurance race this year, the five-hour Super Taikyu Race at Autopolis in Hita, Japan. Toyota's developmental eco-friendly engine has gone through some rapid improvements after its first and even longer race, the Fuji SUPER TEC 24 Hours race.

The experimental Toyota Corolla was driven by three drivers under the Orc Rookie banner, including Toyota's President, Akio Toyoda (under the name Morizo). As part of the brand's efforts towards carbon neutrality, even the hydrogen will be a 'green hydrogen' produced locally in Kyushu, also another carbon-neutral effort that Toyota shares with other industries in Kyushu regarding the manufacturing and use of hydrogen.

There were only two cars that entered the ST-Q category, where the Corolla finished second behind the team's other car, a Toyota GR Supra. It managed to complete 85 laps, 20 laps behind the Supra. That's quite an admirable result considering the fastest car in the whole competition was a McLaren 720S GT3 that clocked in 112 laps in the five-hour time frame. So, hydrogen is really not that bad, eh?

The heart that powers this specially-design Toyota Corolla is taken from the GR Yaris' 1.6-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine. Four hydrogen tanks and all the pipings are derived from the Toyota Mirai. As for improvements, they come in the form of 15% improved performance and response (reduction of abnormal combustion), as well as 40% faster fuelling rates (three minutes to fill all four hydrogen tanks).

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