Hydrogen-fuelled GR Yaris attacks Belgian rally stages

“It’s super nice to hear the engine sound, but at the same time there are no emissions”

Toyota has taken a prototype GR Yaris powered by liquid Hydrogen fuel to the World Rally Championship (WRC) as the official sweep car in a bid to further test alternative fuels.

At the hands of rally royalty Juha Kankkunen and Jari-Matti Latvala, the lightly-modified GR Yaris was tested at the recent Belgian round of the WRC.

The H2-powered Yaris has been kicking around since December 2021, but it sounds like the boffins are learning what makes this fuel type tick.

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In a new video shared by the carmaker, Kankkunen says: “The first feeling is that it’s much more powerful than the standard road car, especially the torque. The top power is maybe not much more than the normal car, but the torque is really good.”

Meanwhile Latavala, Gazoo racing team principal, summed up why enthusiasts might enjoy hydrogen fuel: “It’s super nice to hear the engine sound, but at the same time there are no emissions”

Toyota isn’t claiming hydrogen is the silver bullet to killing emissions from motor vehicles, but it is continuing to test the tech following the hydrogen-powered Corolla hybrid endurance racer and 335kW/540Nm 2UR-GSE hydrogen-powered V8 co-developed with Yamaha.

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While hydrogen is unlikely to overthrow petrol or BEVs as the energy of choice, it could be the solution for sound-loving driving enthusiasts providing an even cleaner burn than proposed synthetic fuels. The same could be said for racing series such as the WRC.

How does Hydrogen fuel the GR Yaris?

You may be more familiar with hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCEVs) such as Toyota’s own Mirai sedan, or the Hyundai Nexo. Both vehicles are in testing in Australia as BEV alternatives, though it seems the current technology better suits heavy goods vehicles.

Aside from a 12V battery there’s no electrification in the hydrogen-fuelled GR Yaris – which maintains its gruff three-cylinder burble from the G16E-GTS.

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Toyota has modified the injectors and fuel delivery system, but the engine internals are untouched.

Toyota says that liquid hydrogen has a faster burn than petrol for improved response. However, as it combusts at a faster rate than petrol, the hydrogen-powered GR Yaris’s driving range won’t match a petrol engine – at least for now.

The hydrogen also needs to be made via energy-intensive electrolysis and transported to its final destination. Unless done using zero-emissions tech, hydrogen as a combustible fuel still has wheel-to-well emissions.

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While the combustion of hydrogen in the GR Yaris’s cylinders produces no carbon emissions in theory, it’s true that small amounts of oil and lubricants in the engine will inevitably get pulled into the burn.

Most of these particulate emissions will be cleaned up by the car’s catalytic converter, but unlike a BEV or FCEV, a hydrogen-fuelled car will still produce some local emissions.

Storage also factors into hydrogen’s use as a combustible fuel. Generally, it’s stored in tanks that are pressurised at between 5000-10,000psi.