Toyota will run a 24-hour endurance race with a GR Corolla that uses liquid hydrogen.

Toyota has announced that it will participate in the Super Taikyu 24 Hour Endurance Race, which will be held from May 26 to 28 at the Fuji Circuit in Japan. The Japanese company will drive the GR Corolla H2 Concept, which is the world’s first liquid hydrogen racing GR Corolla. In addition, this will be the first time a liquid hydrogen car will run in an endurance race.

As of May 2021, Toyota is competing with the similar hydrogen-powered GR Corolla H2 Concept in Japan, but using hydrogen in gaseous form. Switching to liquid hydrogen is a big step forward in evolution, making the car more competitive.

Liquid hydrogen also makes potholes faster and more efficient, as refueling can be done in the same space as gasoline-powered cars. By using liquid hydrogen as fuel, the equipment previously required to produce compressed hydrogen gas—such as compressors and pre-coolers to cool the hydrogen—is no longer needed.

Therefore, the area required to install the station can be four times smaller compared to hydrogen gas stations. In addition, since there is no longer a need to pressurize when filling, many vehicles can fill their hydrogen tanks sequentially.

Over the past two months, the GR Corolla H2 Concept’s racing weight has been reduced by more than 50 kg, resulting in better times than the hydrogen-powered GR Corolla when it debuted in May 2021, with hydrogen in gaseous form. However, the challenges with liquid hydrogen are that it must be kept at temperatures below -253 degrees Celsius and the fuel pump must operate at these temperatures while preventing the hydrogen from escaping from the heat in the tank.