While deciding whether to go ahead with the ban on combustion engines from 2035, each manufacturer continues with its experiments and experiments with different technologies, as is the case with Toyota. The Japanese firm stands out as having followed a very particular path, somewhat removed from the general ditch and also, to say the least, interesting. They dedicated themselves to testing, among other things, combustion engines made of hydrogen, which BMW had already done years ago, but left to focus on other solutions.
But Toyota is not abandoning the idea of combustion engines made from hydrogen, but is testing a further step forward and a solution that has not been used until now: liquid hydrogen. Japanese companies used hydrogen in gas form during their tests, because its storage is easier, because liquid hydrogen must be stored at extremely low temperatures. Specifically degrees Celsius -253.
“We want to create the future for the internal combustion engine, considered the technology of the automobile, in the territory of less than 253 degrees Celsius in the unknown,” said Masahiro Sasaki, pilot of the prototype used by Toyota, “While there are still more obstacles, like with hydrogen gas, we hope that it will be “Our progress should be on a fast track and be reflected in the production cars in a short time,” he later added.
Now, the goal is to develop the technology incorporated into the car, to the point where it can compete in the 2023 Super Taikyu race season, which will begin at the end of March. To this end, the prototype completed three test sessions in February, in which it simulated real racing conditions and shared tracks with other racing cars. He also had to refuel within the designated times, which is one of the challenges and at the same time one of the advantages of liquid hydrogen.
Generally, liquid fuel is more dense than gas, which helps in the car to increase the emission, or in other words, allows it to increase. Also, this makes the fuel “smaller”, takes up less space and is easier to transport, because fewer trucks arrive at the stations.
Liquid hydrogen has another advantage over gaseous hydrogen: it does not need to be forced into a fuel tank, which provides greater design freedom and allows easier refueling. The biggest problem is keeping hydrogen at -253 degrees Celsius, both in filling the tank and in its storage. The challenge is also to deal with the natural vaporization of hydrogen as it heats the lake. Toyota plans to use the Super Taikuy racing series to work on those parts.
