Could hydrogen race cars drive innovation?

In September 2022, Vittoria Ferraris, Senior Director, Sector Lead Automotive EMEA at market research firm S&P, told Automotive World, “Full power hydrogen-fuelled nameplates, with the exception of the Toyota Mirai, are not targeted for mass production. Rather, they are developed by OEMs to test both technology and the market.” This indicates an alternative trajectory for hydrogen.Toyota, which until December 2021 had resisted the industry trend to introduce electric vehicles (EVs), has been developing hydrogen-engine cars since 2014. In Japan’s only full-day race, the Fuji 24 Hours, Japan’s biggest automaker entered a specially prepared hydrogen-engine powered Corolla Sport race car on 30 May 2022.The reason? Toyota wants to use motorsport to promote hydrogen as a viable alternative to electric cars. Although Toyota launched its hydrogen fuel-cell-powered Mirai sedan in…

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