Toyota Is Most Likely To Give Us The First Production, Hydrogen-combustion Cars

A few car manufacturers have been working on hydrogen propulsion for some time now, with Toyota being the first one back in 1992. Eventually, other manufacturers, most notably BMW and more recently Hyundai, joined the fray, but it seems Toyota is ahead of the game. While Fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) like the Toyota Mirai are making a strong case for hydrogen, it is hydrogen combustion engines that the Japanese carmaker is doubling down on, in more recent times.  

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda is adamant that EVs will account for no more than 30 percent of the automotive market and believes hybrid and hydrogen vehicles are the way forward. This clearly includes the internal combustion engines, as Toyota is hard at work developing, not one, but two combustion engines capable of running on liquid hydrogen. 

The GR Yaris engine plays a pivotal role 

Toyota has big plans for its turbocharged, inline-three engine, first used in Toyota GR Yaris. We expect to see the G16E-GTS engine in a few upcoming models, including the next-generation Toyota GR86. More importantly, Toyota already adapted the same engine to burn liquid hydrogen.

On May 29, 2023, the hydrogen-burning Toyota GR Corolla H2 competed at the 24 Hours of Fuji, in the Super Taikyu racing series. After 358 laps, the car finished 47th out of 52, but that's not the point. What is important is that Toyota confirmed the viability of hydrogen combustion engines. Moreover, running on liquid hydrogen, the 1.6-liter turbo-three engine developed 24 percent more power and 33 percent more torque compared to its gasoline-burning variant. 

Toyota is already expanding hydrogen-combustion engines to other models 

In December 2022, Toyota started testing the Corolla Cross H2. It’s powered by the same, 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-three engine. A production variant of the Toyota Corolla Cross H2 is expected to enter production in the next few years. Most manufacturers, including Toyota and BMW, aim for production, hydrogen-combustion vehicles by 2030. 

We know the same turbocharged three-cylinder from the GR Corolla will be adopted by upcoming Toyota models like the MR2 and GR86, but they will likely continue to rely on fossil fuels, at least for now. 

Toyota teamed up with Yamaha to make a hydrogen-burning V-8 

Toyota and Yamaha partnerships have been a thing for over half a century, and almost all exciting Toyota model in the past have benefitted from Yamaha's engineering expertise. This includes the now-absurdly-expensive Mk4 Toyota Supra and the iconic Lexus LFA. Now, Yamaha is helping Toyota once again, with adapting an existing V-8 engine to run on hydrogen. 

We are talking about the 2UR-GSE, 5.0-liter V-8 engine, currently found in the Lexus RC-F and Lexus IS500 F Sport Performance. Toyota and Yamaha engineers had to make some modifications to accommodate for the liquid hydrogen. This includes stronger internals since hydrogen fuel burns at a much higher temperature and requires much higher pressure in order to burn efficiently.

Aside from that, Yamaha claims the hydrogen-burning, 5.0-liter V-8 will produce 455 horsepower at 6,800 RPM and 398 pound-feet at 3,600 RPM, which is only slightly less than the gasoline version, producing 472 horsepower at 7,100 RPM and 395 pound-feet at 4,800 RPM. In true Yamaha fashion, the Toyota hydrogen V-8 will benefit from a special, eight-into-one exhaust manifold, said to give the engine a unique soundtrack.  

Toyota is being silent about the release of such a car into production anytime soon. However, given what I've already discussed above, if there is anyone that can beat the other carmakers to the production of hydrogen-combustion engine cars, it's Toyota. 

About the author

Dimitar Angelov's automotive interests made him an expert in a wide variety of vehicles. Japanese brands like Toyota are closest to his heart, although performance cars in general are his favorite segment, which is why he is constantly on the lookout for the best deals on the market. Dimitar Angelov's car passion and knack for the written word led him to complete a Master of Arts in Media and Communications, and classic car restoration. Dim is happy to get behind the wheel of any car and share his impressions. You can follow Dimitar on X, Linked-in, Instagram, and Facebook.