Toyota pushes on with hydrogen energy to maintain engines alive

Toyota is likely one of the few manufacturers nonetheless investing in hydrogen inner combustion engine (ICE) know-how, and it says it stays a agency a part of its ‘multi-pathway’ answer to automotive decarbonisation.

The Japanese carmaker has been creating hydrogen ICE know-how alongside hydrogen fuel-cell (FCEV) know-how for some time now. The previous incorporates a conventional combustion engine that makes sounds, not like FCEVs that are silent like a battery-electric car (EV).

To this point, Toyota has been trialing the powertrain know-how by motorsport, although it has additionally proven off just a few road-going prototypes. Nevertheless, at this stage there have been no manufacturing fashions provided to the general public with a hydrogen combustion powertrain.

Requested whether or not Toyota remains to be pursuing hydrogen combustion engine tech, Toyota Australia vp of gross sales, advertising and marketing and franchise operations Sean Hanley advised CarExpert it’s going to change into extra related as a mainstream powertrain know-how later subsequent decade.

“[Hydrogen combustion technology is] very a lot alive and effectively… we’re nonetheless creating and trialling,” stated Mr Hanley.

“All I’ll say in relation to hydrogen ICE engines is that it’s a know-how that can proceed to develop over the subsequent 5 years. It’s not a fast know-how.

“It’s not a know-how that we’d be suggesting can be mainstream even on this decade.

“However hydrogen itself, significantly ICE conversions, [as well as] fuel-cell electrical hydrogen autos, that 2035 to 2040 is big, and I believe that’s the place you possibly can anticipate to see much more speak.

“I want I used to be round for that lengthy to see it, as a result of it’s going to be an thrilling time, not just for Toyota, however the trade.

“Toyota is certainly very a lot nonetheless investing in hydrogen.”

Along with motorsport-oriented hydrogen combustion autos like its H2-powered GR Yaris racer, Toyota selected Australia to be the central level for improvement of the Hydrogen HiAce prototype that it revealed final 12 months.

A pilot program noticed seven examples of the Hydrogen HiAce prototype loaned out for a month at a time to fleet operators for transportation. They had been required to report again every day on their expertise.

Not like the common HiAce offered in Australia, which is presently powered solely by a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel, this hydrogen prototype is powered by a 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 modified to run on hydrogen as an alternative of petrol.

This engine presently burns petrol within the Lexus LX 600, in addition to the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Sequence in different markets.

Toyota says one of many few modifications made to the engine are the fuel-injectors, that are upgraded to run on compressed hydrogen fuel.

The hydrogen-fuelled V6 within the HiAce prototype produces 120kW of energy and 354Nm of torque, which is 185kW and 296Nm lower than its petrol-powered counterpart.

Whereas Toyota continues to develop hydrogen combustion engines, manufacturers like BMW and Mazda have beforehand additionally investigated the know-how, which like FCEVs are depending on a widespread hydrogen refuelling community.

MORE: Why Toyota selected Australia for its hydrogen van pilot