It sounds good too!
It can be difficult to let go of the past sometimes; we often look back trying to analyze what we could’ve done differently to undo the damages and maybe go back to those good ol’ days. And so, during this energy transition phase, what most of us miss are the Internal Combustion Engines, mostly their sound. That said, we can’t really go back to traditional combusting and emitting harmful stuff. So what’s the solution? Well, how about a hydrogen combustion engine?
Toyota has built a prototype race car, based on the Corolla hatchback, powered by a hydrogen combustion engine. While the FCEVs such as Mirai use fuel cells in which hydrogen chemically reacts with oxygen in the air in order to produce electricity that powers an electric motor, the hydrogen combustion engine is simply a modified version of a traditional gasoline-powered engine, fueled by compressed hydrogen. Although they emit NOx, there are no CO2 and Particulate Matter (PM) emissions.
The engine in the above prototype is a 1.6-litre (1,618 cc) 3-cylinder turbocharged unit, the same one that powers the highly-acclaimed GR Yaris hot hatch. According to Toyota, combustion in hydrogen engines occurs at a faster rate than in gasoline engines, resulting in characteristic good responsiveness. It produces a good sound too, watch the short clip below.
Toyota wants to test these hydrogen combustion engines in motorsports first, before thinking about the possibility of series production. The hydrogen combustion engine-powered Corolla Sport hatchback will enter a 24-hour endurance race as part of the 2021 Super Taikyu Series later this month.
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