Toyota to supply hydrogen V6 for MissionH24's H24EVO prototype

MissionH24 is the hydrogen racing programme created by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest and the French engineering firm H24Project. H24Project handles technical development, prototype testing and track operations. Its earlier prototypes, the LMPH2G and the H24, ran gaseous hydrogen through fuel cells.

Toyota Racing, MissionH24 and the ACO announced that Toyota will supply the engine at the FIA World Endurance Championship's 6 Hours of Fuji. The engine is a 3.5-litre V6 designed for motorsport. With the H24EVO's hybrid system, it is expected to deliver power and performance much closer to Le Mans endurance racing standards than its predecessors, the announcement said. The H24EVO swaps the earlier fuel cell setup for combustion and a liquid fuel.

The engineering work

Bassel Aslan, MissionH24's technical director, told reporters at Fuji Speedway that the prototype "is already taking concrete form". He said engineers are working on the mechanical interfaces between engine, chassis and gearbox, plus the communication architecture, electrical interfaces, controls and software.

"This engine also offers high efficiency," Aslan said, "a key asset for optimizing the use of on-board liquid hydrogen and, consequently, the vehicle's range, which is a major advantage in endurance racing."

MissionH24 said testing with the combustion engine and liquid hydrogen tanks will begin "soon". No test date, race entry or season was announced.

Hydrogen's wider test

Toyota has demonstrated hydrogen-powered racing vehicles since 2021, and its fuel cell research dates to 1992. Outside motorsport, its main hydrogen effort is now in trucks; on 15 September it and seven European companies announced plans to accelerate the roll-out of hydrogen commercial vehicles in Europe.

Kazuki Nakajima, vice chairman of Toyota Racing, told reporters that the relationship with MissionH24 had grown from aerodynamics and cooling to the hydrogen combustion engine, and that the partners could further develop infrastructure and the supply chain for hydrogen-powered endurance racing.

The passenger-car record shows the challenge. Toyota introduced the Mirai fuel cell car in 2014 and sold about 25,000 through 2023, more than half in California and about 30% in Japan. Sales then fell sharply because of inadequate fuelling infrastructure and competition from EVs and hybrids; the car is priced at more than 8 million yen ($50,000) in Japan. Much of the hydrogen used today, including fuel for Toyota's hydrogen race car, is made from fossil fuels such as natural gas, and less than 0.1% of global production is green, according to the IEA.

The 2030 target

MissionH24 aims to introduce a hydrogen category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2030, for both fuel cell and combustion cars. Pierre Fillon, president of the ACO, said at an event in late May 2023 that Le Mans would be open to hydrogen-powered cars using fuel cells and combustion engines from 2026. MissionH24 said the FIA has chosen liquid hydrogen storage for its future hydrogen prototype category.

Jean-Michel Bouresche, MissionH24 co-president, called Toyota's involvement a strong signal to the hydrogen sector.