Toyota will run a trio of cars using three different types of fuel in a gruelling championship racing series.
Cars using hydrogen, carbon-neutral fuel and petrol will be used by the firm’s entries into the 2022 Eneos Super Taikyu Series. It’s one of Japan’s most popular racing competitions and got underway at Suzuka circuit over the weekend.
The ORC Rookie team is using the Toyota Corolla H2 Concept. This car uses a hydrogen combustion engine, while the same team will also run a Toyota GR86 CNF (carbon-neutral fuel) to compete in all seven championship rounds. From the next race – which will take place at Fuji Speedway – Tom’s Spirit team will use a GR86 with a conventional petrol engine.
n Sunday’s opening race, the CNF Concept took second while the H2 Concept achieved fifth in the CTQ class.
The hydrogen-powered car made its racing debut last year but has since been refined and developed. Engine performance has been improved so that it now compares to regular petrol engines, while key issues to be addressed during this new season include improving the car’s range and reducing the amount of time it takes to refuel.
The CNF car, meanwhile, is based on the GR86 coupe but uses carbon-neutral fuel. It’s powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine which, despite emitting carbon dioxide during combustion, is powered by fuel that uses CO2 already present in the atmosphere. Toyota says that this results in ‘plus/minus’ zero emissions.
