A new era is coming to the world of racing! Global giant Toyota out of Japan is revolutionizing the automotive market with the launch of a car that seems to have come from the future: 100% sustainable and powered by an innovative and unusual fuel. Thinking about leaving its mark on the history of Motorsport, the Japanese automaker debuted its car at the Le Mans Formula 1 race, one of the most famous races in the world. Find out everything about this mysterious fuel that will revolutionize racing and put the company head-to-head with F1.
Toyota’s boldness: A concept car
One of the major concerns of the Fédération Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA) is to implement a more sustainable culture in its sport. After some pressure from the government and sponsors of sports regulated by the FIA, there has been a change in attitude towards adopting cars powered by clean energy, which generate less pollution for the planet. In this energy transition process, Toyota took a step forward by launching a hydrogen-powered car to compete in Le Mans.
Toyota GAZOO — the Japanese brand’s Motorsport division — was responsible for presenting the GR H2 Racing Concept model at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. This is the first test car developed by the brand that is powered by a different form of hydrogen in its liquid form. The company’s idea is to promote the development of hydrogen fuel technology, but for sports cars that can be used in Motorsports competitions.
Toyota GAZOO has its own competition, and one of its purposes is precisely to develop sports racing cars and new technologies for the brand, in a more sustainable way. The fact that the brand chose Le Mans to launch its new sustainable car is no coincidence. This choice is in line with the purpose of the GAZOO division, since the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) — the organization body of Le Mans — was already studying a new category for hydrogen-powered cars starting in 2027.
Why liquid hydrogen?
We already understand the launch of Toyota’s GR H2 and the reason why the brand chose Le Mans for its launch, but one of the questions that remains is: why did the Japanese company opt for the liquid form of hydrogen, and what is the practical difference between its formats?
As a car powered 100% by liquid hydrogen, this means that it does not depend on any type of fossil fuel or even electricity to function, only hydrogen. Unlike traditional fuel cells in hydrogen-powered cars, this new model uses a combustion engine, similar to the one used in a gasoline-powered car, but this one is adapted only for hydrogen.
The hallmark of a racing car is the roar of traditional engines, and the most interesting thing about this innovative project by Toyota is that this will be maintained, thanks to the liquid hydrogen in a combustion engine, but with zero CO2 emissions during the race. In addition to all this, the choice of liquid hydrogen is strategic for the brand: it takes up less space than gaseous hydrogen, which is a better choice, considering the car’s design and better weight balance.
Toyota is ready to lead the new era of racing
Although the GR H2 has not yet been tested in F1 competitions, in Le Mans, the message to the world of Motorsports is clear: the sport can be both exciting and sustainable at the same time. At a time when F1 and other automotive competitions are looking for ways to reduce emissions to zero, Toyota is stepping up and putting a real example on the track, showing that it is ready to lead the new era of hydrogen-powered racing.
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