Toyota Testing Hydrogen Combustion Engines in Race Cars

Toyota Testing Hydrogen Combustion Engines in Race Cars

Toyota said it is testing hydrogen combustion engines in race cars as it works toward using the technology in commercial products. (AFP)

Toyota said Monday it is testing hydrogen combustion engines in race cars as it works toward using the technology in commercial products.

Such engines burn hydrogen as fuel instead of gasoline, much like rockets. The Japanese automaker said testing the technology in race cars will allow it to collect data and try to fix problems on-site.

Toyota Motor Corp. announced earlier that it was developing a hydrogen combustion engine, which Ford Motor Co. and other automakers have also developed. Vehicles powered by such engines are different from fuel cell vehicles that use hydrogen to create electricity, and from electric or hybrid vehicles.

“We want to propose multiple options to meet regional needs,” Naoyuki Sakamoto, chief engineer of the hydrogen-powered engine Corolla model, said in an online news conference.

Sakamoto declined to say when the hydrogen combustion engine may become a commercial product, acknowledging further development are needed to address its so far limited driving range. Infrastructure for fueling such vehicles is another obstacle.

One advantage of hydrogen engines is that minimal adjustments are needed from regular internal combustion engines, except for the fuel piping