Toyota has seen tremendous success in its recent moves in the automotive industry, particularly with its hydrogen cell-powered cars, which have been garnering interest from enthusiasts. Aside from that, the company is exploring new ways of utilizing hydrogen in vehicles by creating an internal combustion engine that runs on hydrogen fuel. You may wonder why Toyota has gone in this direction and how this works. This video will take a closer look at Toyota’s revolutionary hydrogen engine that has caught the public’s attention.
When it comes to the topic of automotive technology advancement, Toyota has rarely disappointed. The Toyota Prius, the best-selling hybrid car of all time, was the vehicle that sparked the trend of electrified cars and led to the accelerated development and increased customer interest in fully electric vehicles. With its launch in 1997, the Prius was one of the first mass-produced hybrid cars on the market, and it quickly became a popular choice among environmentally conscious consumers. Its success in the market not only proved a demand for more fuel-efficient vehicles but also spurred other car manufacturers to develop their own hybrid and electric vehicles. As a result, the Prius played a crucial role in paving the way for the widespread adoption of electric cars today, and its significance in the automotive industry is undeniable. But Toyota had previously decided to keep making hybrids and conventional cars for as long as possible. With the debut of its all-electric Toyota BZ4X in 2021, it can be argued that the company is relatively green in the electric car scene. Meanwhile, Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda is still unsure if hybrids and traditional internal combustion engines will be dethroned by electric cars.
In September last year, Toyoda said he doesn’t see the calls for making traditional vehicles with internal combustion obsolete by 2035 becoming a success in the near future.
“Just like the fully autonomous cars that we are all supposed to be driving by now, EVs are just going to take longer to become mainstream than media would like us to believe,” said Toyoda.
Toyoda also predicted that in the next five to ten years, there will be “tremendous shortages” of lithium and battery-grade nickel, which will disrupt manufacturing and distribution.
This could be one of the many reasons Toyota has shifted its focus to developing Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles or FCEVs, also known as hydrogen cell-powered cars, as an alternative to electric vehicles.
FCEVs can use hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, as fuel. Additionally, they have a minor environmental impact during production as the batteries used in hydrogen cell-powered cars require less lithium than typical EVs. Also, FCEVs do not produce emissions while in use like internal combustion engines do. The original Toyota Mirai, released in 2014, was considered a technological wonder. Despite not being planned for mass production, it was so popular that Toyota released a second generation in 2020 worldwide. Toyota isn’t the only manufacturer rolling out fuel-cell electric vehicles; Honda and Hyundai have joined the fray with models like the Clarity and Nexo. Major automotive companies such as Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes have also announced plans to create hydrogen cell-powered cars. Interestingly, Toyota has recently started developing technology that can use hydrogen more efficiently. The company’s recent efforts to convert internal combustion engines to run on hydrogen as a fuel has been successful, such as converting the popular 1.6-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine found in the Toyota Corolla GR and Yaris GR to run on hydrogen instead of traditional fossil fuels. An internal combustion engine that runs on hydrogen may seem complex, but it functions similarly to vehicles that run on compressed natural gas instead of gasoline.
To ensure the safety of highly flammable hydrogen gas, a large, specially designed tank is required to store it. This tank is thicker than the typical tank to prevent any hydrogen leakage. Various engine component improvements are necessary to withstand the higher pressure in the cylinder, including hardened valves and valve seats, stronger connecting rods, fuel injection systems designed for gas instead of liquid, and several other modifications. The use of hydrogen is almost the same as traditional fossil fuels, but with one significant difference: no CO2 emissions. Additionally, hydrogen engines can generate horsepower comparable to traditional engines. Refueling these vehicles is also much faster than EVs, taking only one and a half minutes for the new Yaris GRH2 to be fully refilled. These hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines have the potential to revolutionize the automotive industry. Additionally, these vehicles are entirely mechanical, which can be repaired and maintained. This also makes these vehicles more cost-effective in the long run. Furthermore, these vehicles don’t require non-renewable resources to run or manufacture, making the production and usage process more sustainable and eco-friendly. As technology improves and hydrogen processing becomes more efficient, refueling these vehicles could become very cheap, further increasing their appeal. Lastly, these cars are practical and provide an exciting driving experience, with a sound similar to traditional internal combustion engines.
Toyota has partnered with Yamaha to manufacture a 5.0-liter V8 engine that runs on hydrogen. In an announcement, Yamaha revealed that the said engine will be based on the one used by Lexus RC F, but with some modifications to its cylinder heads, injectors, and other parts. The new hydrogen V-8 engine will generate 455 horsepower at 6,800 revolutions per minute and 398 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 RPM. Though it produces less power than the original gasoline V-8 it is based on, it still has significant output. The most striking aspect of the engine is its eight-into-one top-mounted exhaust manifold, which Yamaha claims will produce a unique high-frequency sound.
“Hydrogen engines house the potential to be carbon-neutral while keeping our passion for the internal combustion engine alive at the same time,” said Yamaha Motor President Yoshihiro Hidaka.
With a history of successful collaborations, such as the 2JZ engine and the V10 found in the Lexus LFA, it’s no surprise that many eagerly anticipate this new engine’s release. Toyota and Yamaha’s past collaborations have resulted in some of the most iconic and well-regarded engines in the automotive industry, so it’s natural to expect that this new hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine will be no different, and could prove to be the solution to many of the challenges currently faced by the automotive industry.
Several issues need to be considered when discussing the use of hydrogen as a propellant. Even though Toyota is one of the pioneers in developing hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines, they were not the first car manufacturer to do so. BMW had already introduced a hydrogen-powered vehicle, the BMW 750 HL in 2002 and later the Hydrogen 7 in 2005. Both of these models were plagued with numerous issues that are still prevalent in hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicles today. Hydrogen presents a significant risk because it can easily catch fire and even explode. This also means that companies should spend more to make hydrogen cars safer to operate. Hydrogen is not easy to produce and is even more challenging to store. Another drawback of hydrogen-powered vehicles is their emissions. Despite not emitting carbon dioxide, they make high levels of nitrous oxide, a harmful pollutant. This can be mitigated by using twice as much air for combustion, but at the cost of a significantly less powerful vehicle than gasoline-powered equivalents. This means engines must be massive to generate enough horsepower, which translates into increased fuel consumption. Hydrogen is currently more expensive than gasoline because of its processing and storage complexity. Because of the high cost, buyers may opt for traditional vehicles. Because of the many durability requirements, making a hydrogen engine is at least 150% more expensive than a traditional IC engine. Until Toyota can figure out a way to solve these problems, only hybrids should use hydrogen internal combustion engines to reduce nitrous oxide emissions and increases fuel economy.
So, you can thank technological limitations for the absence of the Toyota GR Yaris in dealerships. However, the continued development of hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines could prove to be a profitable venture for Toyota in the long term. Soon enough, hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines will be as common as electric cars because they’ll be more affordable and popular by then. Regardless of one’s perspective on hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines as a viable future technology, credit should be given to Toyota for considering alternative options. While the concept holds potential, significant advancements in hydrogen infrastructure and storage technology will need to be made before widespread adoption could be possible.