The GR Yaris was awarded the AA DRIVEN Car of the Year of 2021, and it just keeps getting better.
Toyota has now created a hydrogen‑powered version of the car. It's an experimental prototype, which has switched out its petrol tank for a hydrogen one. The aim isn't to create electricity, but for good old-fashioned combustion.
It's the latest addition to a project that's been going since 2017, investigating the viability of hydrogen combustion. And while Toyota says the technology is still “not yet ready for commercialisation”, the reliability of it is currently being tested in a hydrogen-powered Corolla racing car at the Super Taikyu series. A Toyota GR86 and Subaru BRZ will also be featured in the series, and will also be running on synthetic fuels.
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The Corolla and the Yaris that have been converted to hydrogen-powered vehicles both use the same familiar 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine.
There haven't been many changes to the vehicles other than the hydrogen storage tank, fuel supply and injection system. This means while the vehicles are a lot cleaner, the features we all know and love about internal combustion engines (ICE) cars are retained: the noises and visceral sensations.
“We’ve taken the first step to compete with and develop our hydrogen-powered engine with the mindset of taking on the challenge,” says Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation
“I imagine things will look a little different 10 years from now, and I hope people will look back and see how we took on the challenge with positivity and enjoyed every moment of it.”
