Toyota Takes New Engine That Swaps Gasoline For Hydrogen On A Spin
The current state of the world has automotive manufacturers racing toward sustainable and future-proof solutions. One such example is Toyota’s newest ‘Corolla Cross Hydrogen Concept’, which reimagines the traditional engine and swaps out the need for gas for, you guessed it, hydrogen.
The new concept uses the same 1.6-liter turbocharged incline-3 engine found in the GR Corolla and modifies it to run on compressed hydrogen instead of fuel.
It will employ the same combustion cycle where fuel and air enter the cylinder, get compressed, ignited, and removed. But this time, it won’t need gasoline to run.
Take a peek under the hood with this image of the car.
The new Corolla is also not a hybrid battery-powered vehicle. Instead, its engine is a standalone hydrogen fuel cell-powered motor that banks on traditional means of powering a car minus the damage done to the environment.
Other manufacturers like BMW have also been experimenting with the idea since 2015. Recently, hypercar company De Tomaso revealed plans for a sports car that employs the same idea.
A hydrogen-fuelled motor is a different take on sustainable cars, whereas other manufacturers such as Tesla and Ford go down an electric route instead.
Toyota notes that it is only about 40% ready with the design, but it’s making moves to cross the 100% mark sometime soon as it begins winter testing in northern Japan this year.
[via Tech Times and CNET, images via Toyota]
