Hydrogen produced in the Latrobe Valley has been used to fuel Toyota’s hydrogen-powered Corolla in the 2021 Super Taikyu Series in Japan.
The hydrogen was supplied by the Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC) Project Partners, and fuelled Toyota Corporation’s car in the race known as the ‘Top Endurance Race Series in Asia’.
The car raced for over five hours with its performance on par with a gasoline-fuelled vehicle. This is the third time Toyota has raced with the hydrogen-fuelled engine, but the first time it has used Latrobe Valley hydrogen, which brought with it several improvements, Toyota reported.
The car’s outstanding performance demonstrates the quality and energy that clean hydrogen produced from the Latrobe Valley can provide not only for racing cars but for transport, globally.
Jeremy Stone, Non-Executive Director of J-Power Latrobe Valley said, “We’re really pleased we can produce Latrobe Valley hydrogen to the highest purity standards, which is required for fuelling racing cars which produce zero emissions.”
“It’s fantastic to collaborate with all the HESC Project Partners and see the fuel of the future being adopted by global auto businesses such as Toyota.”
HESC Project Partners Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Iwatani Corporation, and Electric Power Development Co. (J-Power) delivered the hydrogen especially for the endurance race, flying it to Japan before it was transported to the race circuit by a fuel cell electric truck.
At a press conference, Toyota shared its hopes to work with the HESC Project not only in next year’s race, but also into the future.