ACO, the organizing physique behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans, introduced in March that hydrogen-powered automobiles can be eligible for the race come 2026. That would come with hydrogen combustion engines just like the idea H2-powered Lexus V8 that Toyota and Yamaha confirmed in 2022, and gasoline cell autos. Planning for the doorways to open in three years, Toyota used this yr’s Le Mans weekend to point out the Gazoo Racing GR H2 Racing Idea. This one’s obtained a hydrogen combustion engine, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda saying, “The sound, the torque, the dynamics, it is all there.”
The automaker did not present any info on the mechanicals beneath the black magnificence, solely the scale. The GR H2 Racing Idea is 200.8 inches lengthy and 80.7 inches vast. That is seven inches longer and two inches wider than the GR010 Hybrid competing in WEC this yr. It is also simply exterior the utmost dimensions allowed for the present Le Mans Hypercar class by 3.9 inches in size and two inches in width.
Toyota’s been operating a hydrogen-engined Corolla in Japan’s Tremendous Taikyu sequence for 2 years. To hearken to it across the observe, you’d by no means know there wasn’t gasoline concerned. Each time we get a clip of the GR H2 Racing Idea on observe, it may sound like the great previous days.
Gazoo Racing wasn’t the one competitor in Le Mans’ H2 Village with a debut. French automotive firm Ligier obtained along with Bosch to develop the JS2 RH2, a hydrogen-engined relative of Ligier’s JS2 R racer. We are saying “relative” as a result of the car construction’s modified for the RH2. The JS2 R is constructed on a tubular spaceframe and powered by a 3.7-liter Ford V6 gasoline engine making 350 horsepower. The JS2 RH2 is constructed on a carbon monocoque and powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 derived from a Bosch unit and operating hydrogen, producing 563 hp. It weighs 3,197 kilos, which is 871 kilos greater than the usual JS2 R. Utilizing three 2.1-kg hydrogen tanks, Ligier and Bosch say it could run for 35 to 40 minutes round Le Mans earlier than needing a refill. The race autos operating this weekend will normally do stints of about 45 to 50 minutes.
Ligier and Bosch name the JS2 RH2 a know-how demonstrator solely, with no plans to race within the near-term. Bosch CEO Dr. Johannes-Joerg Rueger pointed to the long run, saying, “Sooner or later there might be a single resolution to hydrogen. We need to put ourselves on the forefront of this know-how.”