TOKYO (AP) – Toyota said Monday it was testing hydrogen internal combustion engines in racing cars to use the technology in commercial products.
Such engines burn hydrogen for fuel instead of gasoline, much like rockets. The Japanese automaker said testing the technology in race cars will allow it to gather data and try to troubleshoot issues on the ground.
Toyota Motor Corp. had previously announced that it would develop a hydrogen internal combustion engine, which Ford Motor Co. and other automakers have also developed. Vehicles powered by such engines are different from fuel cell vehicles, which use hydrogen to generate electricity, and from electric or hybrid vehicles.
“We want to propose several options to meet regional needs,” said Naoyuki Sakamoto, chief engineer of the hydrogen-powered Corolla engine, in an online press conference.
Sakamoto declined to say when the hydrogen internal combustion engine could become a commercial product, admitting that more development is needed to address the previously limited range. The infrastructure for refueling such vehicles is another obstacle.
One advantage of hydrogen engines is that, with the exception of the fuel lines and injection systems, only minimal adjustments are required in normal internal combustion engines.
There are some risks associated with using hydrogen as a fuel, but hydrogen refueling stations operate across Japan with no major accidents.
Sakamoto said hydrogen is as safe on the roads today as any other fuel.
According to Toyota, the latest hydrogen technology is being tested on a Yaris with a 1.6-liter engine for racing.
Two hydrogen tanks fit in the back seat area of the racing car, but that is likely to change for commercial models.
Hydrogen can offer several advantages. Electric vehicle batteries require various minerals, while hydrogen is relatively abundant in the environment and is easy to store and transport.
Hydrogen can be made from water by electrolysis, which is often done in school chemistry experiments. Hydrogen can also be converted from solar energy for storage. But depending on how widespread such fuel is, it can be a lot cheaper to fill up your car than gasoline, whose prices fluctuate widely. Toyota also said it produces hydrogen at a geothermal power plant in southern Japan.
But the hydrogen engine is not 100% emission-free and emits a tiny bit of carbon dioxide from the engine oil. Toyota said it developed technology to clean up its nitrogen oxide or NOx emissions.
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Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
