Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) introduced at present that it’s going to enter the ENEOS Tremendous Taikyu Collection 2023 Supported by Bridgestone Spherical 4 Tremendous Taikyu Race (5h x 1 race), to be held from July 29 to 30 on the Autopolis worldwide racing course in Oita Prefecture, with the #32 ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Idea, which runs on liquid hydrogen, and the #28 ORC ROOKIE GR86 CNF Idea working on carbon-neutral gas.

1. Evolution from the Fuji 24 Hours Race

The hydrogen-powered Corolla, cell liquid hydrogen stations, and carbon impartial gas have advanced within the two months for the reason that Spherical 2 NAPAC Fuji SUPER TEC 24 Hours Race from Could 26 to twenty-eight.

1) Hydrogen-powered Corolla

• Improved sturdiness of liquid hydrogen pump

  The sturdiness of the pump, which was a difficulty within the Fuji 24 Hours Race, has been improved, leading to 30% enhanced sturdiness beneath related situations. Lubricating oil is normally utilized in pumps to scale back stress by means of much less friction within the pump; nevertheless, lubricating oil can’t be utilized in liquid hydrogen pumps because it contaminates the hydrogen. For this race, a buffer construction will likely be used to scale back stress on the pump gear drive unit, aiming to permit it to complete the race without having to get replaced.

• Car weight lowered by 40 kg

  Numerous liquid hydrogen programs, together with security valves and piping, have been optimized primarily based on analyses of knowledge collected in earlier exams and races. As well as, pump stress has been lowered by optimizing gas stress, resulting in a weight discount for the pump drive motor battery. In consequence, the automobile now weighs 1,910 kg, 40 kg lighter than the 1,950 kg it weighed through the Fuji 24 Hours Race in Could.

2) Cell liquid hydrogen stations

• Joint and versatile hose weight lowered

  We’ve got succeeded in lowering the burden of joints and versatile hoses for the cell liquid hydrogen station that was developed collectively by Iwatani Company and Toyota. Because the joint and versatile hose weight places a burden on the employees who fill automobiles with hydrogen, lowering their dimension and weight is essential in getting ready for future commercialization. We lowered the burden of the filling joint from 8.4 kg to six.0 kg and the return joint from 16.0 kg to 12.5 kg by eliminating the connection cowl and altering the elements that don’t come into contact with hydrogen from iron to aluminum. The versatile hose on the return joint facet has additionally been modified to a thinner hose, lowering the burden from roughly 4 kg to 1 kg, to scale back the burden on employees and enhance workability throughout filling operations.

 
Filling joint^*1                                                                                  Return joint^*2
Each photos present the joint used through the Fuji 24 Hours Race (high) and the improved joint (backside).

Again: Return joint, entrance: filling joint                        Versatile hose^*3 
High is pre-improvement, backside is post-improvement.

• Automated hydrogen filling operation

  Till now, all hydrogen filling operations for the hydrogen-powered Corolla, resembling opening and shutting the filling valve and stopping filling when the hydrogen reaches full capability, have been carried out manually. For this race, we have now succeeded in automating these operations by means of digital management. Automating hydrogen filling will allow it to be carried out effectively and error-free in a predictable timeframe.

• Improved hydrogen filling time

  A high-flow-rate filling-side cease valve developed by Fujikin Included will likely be put in ranging from this race. The filling-side cease valve is put in onto the filling port of the liquid hydrogen tank. Valve sizes improve because the movement charge will increase to hurry up the filling course of, making sealing tougher. Nonetheless, Fujikin’s valve has succeeded in balancing each of those elements. In consequence, hydrogen filling time^*4 has been lowered to roughly 1 minute, down from 1 minute 40 seconds on the Fuji 24 Hours Race.

3) Carbon-neutral gas

The CNF GR86 has been racing with the newly improved carbon-neutral gas for the reason that Spherical 3 SUGO Tremendous Taikyu 3 Hours Race held from July 8 to 9.

The issue with conventional carbon-neutral gas is that it tends to dilute the engine oil, stopping the engine oil from performing because it ought to. Along with Subaru Company, which additionally makes use of carbon-neutral gas in its races, and gas producers, we adjusted the composition of the gas to make it simpler to vaporize and burn. This reduces engine oil dilution and improves reliability and exhaust efficiency by lowering the burden on the engine.

2. Progress of efforts to realize carbon neutrality with companions in Kyushu

Our native firm and municipality companions in Kyushu, who’ve come collectively to realize carbon neutrality, have been additional accelerating their efforts.

Efforts of companions in Kyushu

Obayashi, Toyota Motor Kyushu, Fukuoka Metropolis	A gas cell generator has been put in within the pit to energy the cell liquid hydrogen station for the hydrogen-powered Corolla. Three forms of Kyushu-produced gaseous hydrogen are getting used: geothermal-derived hydrogen from Obayashi Company, solar-generated hydrogen from Toyota Motor Kyushu, and sewage biogas-derived hydrogen from Fukuoka Metropolis.
Obayashi	(Introduced on January 24, 2023)
Fukuoka Prefecture	Fukuoka Prefecture launched FC coasters in its BRT (Bus Fast Transit) system in cooperation with Kyushu Railway and CJPT. It additionally promotes hydrogen undertaking initiatives, resembling supporting the introduction of Gentle-Responsibility Gasoline Cell Electrical Truck to logistics suppliers. https://world.toyota/en/newsroom/company/38377786.html (Introduced on December 26, 2022)
Fukuoka Metropolis	Fukuoka Metropolis promotes hydrogen undertaking initiatives, together with the introduction of FC college lunch supply automobiles in collaboration with Toyota and CJPT. A prototype FC rubbish truck for technical research, which is scheduled to be launched by Fukuoka Metropolis and different municipalities, was unveiled for the primary time on the Autopolis occasion sq.. https://world.toyota/en/newsroom/company/36884314.html (Introduced on February 7, 2022)

Toyota will proceed to speed up improvement by refining vehicles and other people within the difficult world of motorsports. It’ll additionally proceed to evolve along with its companions to create an excellent higher carbon-neutral society.

*1 Filling joint A joint for filling automobiles with liquid hydrogen
*2 Return joint A joint that returns vaporized hydrogen to the filling station
*3 Versatile hose A hose connecting the joint to the station
*4 Hydrogen filling time Time throughout which hydrogen is definitely flowing after the hydrogen filling nozzle is connected

SOURCE: Toyota