- Olga Kokorina
- Translated by Olga Apetenok
- Ru He Fr
New Toyota Yaris. ‘Hot’ and hydrogen
At the annual Kenshiki Forum held in Japan, Toyota has once again demonstrated its interest in developing hydrogen powertrains as an alternative to total electrification, as well as its capabilities, of course. The company introduced the new Toyota GR Yaris H2, a small hydrogen-powered hot hatch. According to the CEO of Toyota Europe Matt Harrison, the use of hydrogen technology will allow the manufacturer to achieve near-zero emissions without electrification while maintaining the speed and noise loved by the fans of racing cars.
The new Toyota GR Yaris is officially available in Israel. It is equipped with a 1.6-liter turbocharged engine boosted to 261 hp, 6-speed manual transmission and all-wheel drive. Acceleration to 100 km/h occurs in 5.5 seconds.
We have already reviewed the hydrogen-powered racing Corolla, created for Super Taikyu in Japan. The Yaris GR H2 uses the same unit as this Corolla. The model is very similar to the regular version, and fueling equipment is the same as that installed on the Toyota Mirai production car. Toyota claims that hydrogen burns faster than gasoline, which means that this engine provides ‘good throttle response’ along with ‘excellent environmental performance’. Hydrogen units are not completely free from harmful emissions, but CO2 and NOX emissions are many times lower those produced by gasoline units.
‘The uplifting message of the GR Yaris H2 is this: even in a zero-emissions future, we could still enjoy motoring thrills similar to those we enjoy today’.
According to Toyota, Hydrogen combustion technology reduces vehicle emissions at a relatively affordable price, as it allows manufacturers to use the ‘existing internal combustion engine know-how and manufacturing investments’. In January 2022, a new generation of fuel cells will be introduced. They are able to provide 54% more specific power than the existing one, reduce weight by 25% and reduce the volume of the fuel cell stack by 27%.
