Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) announced today that it will enter a vehicle equipped with a developmental hydrogen-powered engine at the five-hour-long Super Taikyu Series 2021. The hydrogen-powered engine is being developed as part of Toyota’s efforts to realise a carbon-neutral mobility society.
In order to achieve a carbon-neutral hydrogen society through racing hydrogen-powered engine vehicles, a group of people with the will and passion to work together, have gathered from across industries and are taking on various challenges together. In the race at Fuji Speedway, we tried “using” hydrogen, and in the race at Autopolis, we tried to expand our options in the area of “producing” hydrogen. In the Suzuka race this time, we will challenge on the theme of “transporting” said Toyota President Akio Toyoda
Specifically, Toyota will use hydrogen produced from Australian lignite to power its vehicles, this hydrogen will be transported to and within Japan by a partnership of three companies: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Kawasaki Heavy Industries), Iwatani Corporation (Iwatani), and Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-Power).
In addition, Toyota is also taking on the challenge of realising a clean hydrogen society by working to reduce CO2 emissions generated when transporting hydrogen in Japan with bio-fuel trucks and fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs). As for vehicles, the company will promote further improvements through agile development, and introduce new connected systems at development sites to be utilised in vehicle development.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which will help Toyota in transporting hydrogen, began constructing hydrogen storage tanks for rocket fuel more than 30 years ago, and has continued to refine its hydrogen technologies since. In 2016, it established HySTRA, a technology research association with Iwatani, J-Power, and others, and plans to economically produce hydrogen from Australian lignite, which is abundant and inexpensive to mine, and transport it to Japan.
Japan is expected to introduce about 3 million tons of hydrogen in 2030, and about 20 million tons in 2050. As demand increases, it is necessary to procure hydrogen on a large scale not only from Japan but also from overseas.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Iwatani, and J-Power, are trialing the air transportation of hydrogen from Australia to Japan, and will supply some of the hydrogen to Toyota for the Super Taikyu Series 2021 Round 5 Suzuka S-tai. Through the on-site use of this hydrogen at the race, the three companies and Toyota will share concrete future plans for both transporting and using hydrogen.
Toyota plans to use hydrogen transported by a large liquefied hydrogen carrier to continue its efforts to help realise a hydrogen society. It will also continue to work with other stakeholders to train and accelerate the development of hydrogen engines in the harsh environment of motorsports.
