Ahead of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, Toyota Gazoo Racing revealed the GR LH2 Racing Concept, the second iteration of its hydrogen-fuelled racing prototypes.
Following in the footsteps of the first GR H2 which was uncovered at Le Mans two years ago, the LH2 features an engine – though with no technical details – rather than its static-only predecessors.
The engine is fuelled by liquid hydrogen, rather than high-octane petrol, allowing it to theoretically have zero tailpipe emissions except for water. In true Toyota fashion, the engine is mated to a hybrid system, just like most of the cars it sells and the Hypercar prototypes which have won at Le Mans.
According to Toyota, the GR LH2 will support its “continuous development of hydrogen technology and infrastructure, as well as helping build relationships to expand the possibilities of hydrogen through the challenge of motorsports.”
While Toyota has previously said it intends to race its GR H2 in the World Endurance Championship by 2028 – alongside its petrol-powered challenger – there was no mention of doing so in the latest LHR media release.
The reveal of the GR LH2 is the latest example of Toyota putting a lot of its eggs into the hydrogen power basket – through liquid hydrogen-fuelled combustion engines to fuel cells – rather than into electric vehicles, which the car giant has been criticised for being too slow to roll out.
In 2021 it started racing a version of the pre-production GR Corolla in Japan’s Super Taikyu series, with its turbocharged three-cylinder engine running on hydrogen gas. In 2023, that car was upgraded to run on liquid hydrogen, and completed a demonstration lap at Le Mans.
Toyota isn’t alone with its hydrogen aspirations, with fellow WEC competitor Alpine having unveiled its own hydrogen-powered concept, the Alpenglow.
Two versions of the Alpenglow have existed, the first with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine (Hy4) and the second with a V6 (Hy6). Like the GR LH2, it’s expected to race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2028.
While Toyota has been steadfast in its support for hydrogen power, the world’s most abundant element is far from common in road cars.
The Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo represent the two mainstream hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the market, though neither have been a sales success. In Australia, they’re only offered on lease programs to corporate customers, and the refuelling infrastructure is extremely limited.
Still, Toyota is forging ahead with hydrogen development, with even its HiLux ute getting a fuel cell prototype.
Discussion about this post