Hydrogen-fueled engine Corolla enters at Super Taikyu Series 2021 Suzuka S-tai
The challenge of trialling transporting hydrogen from abroad with partners to help realise a better hydrogen society.
Toyota Motor Corp has participated with a vehicle equipped with a developmental hydrogen-powered engine at the five-hour-long Super Taikyu Series 2021 Powered by Hankook Round 5 Suzuka S-tai.
Toyota used hydrogen produced from Australian lignite to power the vehicle in Round 5. The hydrogen was transported to and within Japan through a partnership of three companies: Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd, Iwatani Corporation, and Electric Power Development Co., Ltd. (J-Power).
Moreover, it took on the challenge of realising a clean hydrogen society by reducing CO2 emissions generated when transporting hydrogen in Japan with bio-fuel trucks and fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs).
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Iwatani, and J-Power have been trialling the air transportation of hydrogen from Australia to Japan to supply some of the hydrogen to Toyota for the Super Taikyu Series 2021 Round 5 Suzuka S-tai (took place on September 18-19 September 2021). Through the on-site use of this hydrogen at the race, all three partners will share concrete plans for both transporting and using hydrogen.
Toyota planned to use two types of hydrogen in Super Taikyu Series 2021 Suzuka S-tai:
- Lignite-derived hydrogen was transported from Australia transported to the Suzuka Circuit by small fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) of the Commercial Japan Partnership (CJPT).
- Clean hydrogen produced by Fukushima Hydrogen Energy Research Field (FH2R) in Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture, transported by a bio-fuel truck of Toyota Transport.
Toyota is also considering using hydrogen transported by the Suiso Frontier in the Super Taikyu race in 2022. In the mid-2025s, the automaker plans to use hydrogen transported by a large liquefied hydrogen carrier to continue our efforts to help realise a hydrogen society.
Refuelling time has been reduced since Fuji Speedway when it took 5 minutes and then 3 minutes at Autopolis and now around 2 minutes at Suzuka.
In the Suzuka race, it used the theme of ‘transporting’, while in the previous race at Fuji Speedway, it was ‘using’ hydrogen, and in the race at Autopolis, it was ‘producing’ hydrogen.
