Toyota reveals liquid hydrogen-fueled concept

Toyota Gazoo Racing took the wraps off its GR LH2 Racing Concept at the Le Mans 24 Hours Hydrogen Village at Le Mans' Circuit de la Sarthe on Wednesday The liquid hydrogen (LH2) fueled test car is an evolution of the GR H2 concept it showed off at La Sarthe two years ago.

The Japanese manufacturer was light on details regarding the wider plans for the car at today's launch. What we do know at this point is that the chassis, which is based on the GR010 HYBRID Hypercar, was designed and manufactured by Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe in Cologne, and the engine comes from the Japanese arm of Gazoo Racing.

Powered by a hydrogen engine and hybrid system, the GR LH2 is 51000 mm/ 2008 in long and 2050 mm / 81 in wide.

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"We need to be careful about our intent." Kazuki Nakajima, the vice president of Toyota Gazoo Racing Europe, said at the car's launch. "Our intent at this moment is to test this car, test hydrogen, not only combustion engine technology, and learn about the infrastructure and refueling system, as it's different to what we are used to.

"We are targeting to expand the possibilities of hydrogen combustion engine technology. There is more to come, and to get to the right level, we believe we need to improve the technology further. This is the first step. From running, it's not far, but we can't tell you exactly when. Basically, it is designed to run on track."

Currently, the FIA WEC is expected to adopt hydrogen-powered prototypes in 2028, and we expect to hear more about the future regulation set later this week.