Advocating the use of hydrogen in combustion engines to decarbonize racing, the Japanese car giant is now also trialing the technology in the family-oriented Corolla Cross. The concept is currently undergoing winter and digital testing in Japan.

The H2 concept version of the Corolla Cross uses the same technology as the previously unveiled GR Yaris. It burns hydrogen in a slightly adapted three-cylinder gasoline turbo-engine with water vapor as emissions.

With theoretically no CO2 emissions at the tailpipe, this type of combustion engine could stand a chance of approval for commercialization when the zero-emission ruling of the EU takes effect in 2035.

Several drawbacks

Adopting the 1.6-liter engine on hydrogen in a family package, seating five, including luggage, carries strong symbolic value, but Toyota is not there yet. “The project is at 40% of commercialization,” said the CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, Matthew Harrison, during a presentation at the company’s Kenshiki forum last week. “And I am unsure whether we’ll reach 100%,” he added.

There are several drawbacks. With a lower energy content, the output isn’t excellent, efficiency is two to three times lower than in a fuel cell, and the limited storage available (the tanks come from the Mirai though) affects range and practicality.

However, in Europe, such range anxiety would be tackled by the adopted AFIR program, implementing a hydrogen filling station every 150 kilometers on major highways. Toyota doesn’t mention the distance the prototype of the Corolla Cross Hydrogen can cover.

On a par with gasoline engine

But, as a specialist, the carmaker is gathering expertise with the driveline in the super Taiku Endurance Series in Japan, where a GR Corolla H2 is competing. During its participation window, the engineers have reduced filling times from five minutes to one and a half while boosting power by 24% and torque by 33%.

Power is now “on a par with a gasoline engine”, says Toyota, adding that its engineering team succeeded in boosting range by 30% – again without mentioning how many kilometers that represents.

Rally of Ypres

Earlier this year, the CEO of Toyota Akio Toyoda took some tourist stints in the rally of Ypres with the GR Yaris to demonstrate the technology. Toyota remains firm about the possibilities of the technology in racing but stresses at the same time that maturing it for road cars is a whole different challenge.

As part of its pledge to hydrogen as a key energy differentiator for society, Toyota is also converting its old Higashi-Fuji plant into a test site for zero-emission living and mobility.

At the foot of mount Fuji, this Woven City has been under construction since last year. It’s a hydrogen-based community of the future, where transport and delivery needs are covered by autonomous and H2-based vehicles. A Corolla Cross could fit in there nicely.